Why is Zhao sent to the area known as X in the short-story, To the Dogs?

Zhao is sent to X per "central government policy", so the peasants could reform (re-educate) him (1). Zhao’s class was wrong, because his parents were both teachers. The peasant reform assignment was meant to amend this status issue.

"This was in 1972. I was fifteen, sent from my hometown of Shanghai to a remote rural town, X. According to central government policy, I needed to be reformed by the peasants because my class status wasn't right—both my parents were high school teachers" (1).