"They did their revolution and rebellion. We did our work."

Interviewer: Thank you for accepting my interview. Were you born in the 1930’s or ‘40’s?

I was born in 1941.

Interviewer: Where were you born?

In the countryside.

Interviewer: Which province was it?

Hubei.

Interviewer: Oh, the Hubei countryside. The 10 years between 1966 and 1976 were called the Cultural Revolution. Have you heard of it?

Yes. We were still working on agricultural production while the revolution was in progress.

Interviewer: Did you see the rebel faction in your area?

Yes. They did their revolution and rebellion. We did our work.

Interviewer: So you were working, but you saw the rebels.

Yes.

Interviewer: Did you see the Red Guards?

Yes. The Red Guards were all over the countryside, making revolution.

Interviewer: Were they local Red Guards or did they come in from other regions?

They were local.

Interviewer: So they weren’t doing agricultural production work, were they? Were they the children of the peasants, too?

Right, they were peasants’ children, too.

Interviewer: So, peasants' children also became Red Guards and rebelled. Who were their targets?

Whatever cadres had gotten mixed up in some trouble, such as taking bribes. The cadres were tied up and beaten.

Interviewer: So they targeted the cadres.

Yes, the cadres.

still did it --

[interviewee's husband, off-screen]: [They targeted] "those in power."

[interviewee]: -- landlords and others were still targeted.

Interviewer: Oh, they targeted landlords. Did you actually witness that?

Of course. We farmers worked in agricultural production all day, so in the evening, of course we saw the Red Guards' [struggle meetings].

Interviewer: I see. What about your material life during those 10 years?

The Red Guards were rebelling. But life was okay -- it was just that agricultural production was ruined.

Interviewer: So they did their rebellion and you did your work. You worked your land.

Yes.

Interviewer: So there was enough grain for you then.

Yes. There was enough grain. 1959 and 1960 were tough times.

[husband, off-screen]: You're intellectuals, you...

Interviewer: So you didn’t have enough food in ’59 and ’60?

Right. Since there wasn't much to eat, some people starved to death.

Interviewer: But between ’66 and ’76, you had enough to eat?

Yes.

Interviewer: Very well. Thank you. Can you tell me if you are literate? Did you go to school?

No, I didn’t go to school.

Interviewer: But you remember you saw the rebel faction in those years.

Yes. [At the time we saw the] rebel faction, we were in our 20s and 30s. I was in my 20s then.

Interviewer: But you didn’t join the Red Guards yourself.

No. We were really busy farming. Generally, Red Guards were kids or unmarried young men.

Interviewer: Sorry? What kind of young men?

Unmarried.

Interviewer: Oh, young unmarried men.

[husband, off-screen]: At that time, people in their teens and twenties were traveling between counties under the banner of the Red Guards, because the Red Guards could get everything for free.

Interviewer: It wasn’t called travel at the time. It was called “great networking.”

Right, "great networking."

[husband, off-screen]: Right, the time of the "great networking."

Interviewer: All right. Thank you very much for accepting my interview. Very good.