WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.570 --> 00:00:14.830 align:center line:-1Interviewer: Thank you for accepting my interview. Could you tell me when you were born? You can just name the decade. 2 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:16.880 align:center line:-1 I was born in the 1960s. 3 00:00:16.890 --> 00:00:26.050 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Could you tell me where in China you lived between 1966 and 1976? 4 00:00:26.060 --> 00:00:42.490 align:center line:-1 My family lived in Nanjing from 1966 to 1970. We moved to Guangdong in 1970, and then to Shanghai in 1976. 5 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:51.490 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Since you were born in the 1960s, you may not have many strong memories of the Cultural Revolution. 6 00:00:51.500 --> 00:01:03.610 align:center line:-1 I remember a little bit. In 1966, when [everyone] was writing the “big-character posters,” my mom sent my grandma back to her hometown. 7 00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:09.660 align:center line:-1 I grew up with my grandma, and she spoiled me a lot. 8 00:01:09.670 --> 00:01:16.490 align:center line:-1 So, I remember it very well – I was sad when she left, since I was very dependent on her. 9 00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:22.290 align:center line:-1 After that, my parents went to May 7 cadre school and sent me to a boarding kindergarten. 10 00:01:22.300 --> 00:01:37.090 align:center line:-1 I have an especially deep memory of this -- I remember that my grandma was gone, and I didn’t know anybody in the kindergarten, so I did not like going. 11 00:01:37.100 --> 00:01:44.290 align:center line:-1 Every time my parents took me to the kindergarten, the teacher held onto me and asked my parents to say goodbye quickly. 12 00:01:44.300 --> 00:01:47.890 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Do you remember whether or not your mother said why your grandma was sent back to her hometown? 13 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:54.790 align:center line:-1 [It was] because of the Cultural Revolution. [People] started writing “big-character posters.” 14 00:01:54.800 --> 00:01:58.090 align:center line:-1 Grandma’s family background was bad – [she came from] rich peasant landlords. 15 00:01:58.100 --> 00:01:59.290 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Where was [your grandma’s] hometown? 16 00:01:59.300 --> 00:02:01.990 align:center line:-1 Hunan. 17 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.240 align:center line:-1 During that time, landlords were criticized with “big-character posters.” 18 00:02:05.250 --> 00:02:08.690 align:center line:-1 My mom said the elderly could not bear it, and it would also have a bad effect on the children. 19 00:02:08.700 --> 00:02:15.690 align:center line:-1 In addition, my brother was [already] about 10 years old. So [they] sent my grandma away. 20 00:02:15.700 --> 00:02:19.990 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: So your grandma stayed in her hometown from then on? 21 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.850 align:center line:-1 No, she came back later -- many years later, back to Shanghai. 22 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:27.890 align:center line:-1 I remember that time left a deep impression on me. 23 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:31.890 align:center line:-1 My parents went to the May 7 cadre school. 24 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:37.990 align:center line:-1 My brother was probably also sent to full-time childcare. I can’t quite remember. 25 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:46.090 align:center line:-1 I remember what left a deep impression on me was that [my parents told me they] would pick me up [from kindergarten] on Saturdays. 26 00:02:46.100 --> 00:02:48.690 align:center line:-1 I thought, hey, how come some kids get picked up on Fridays? 27 00:02:48.700 --> 00:02:52.040 align:center line:-1 I remember staring out the window, waiting for them to come. 28 00:02:52.050 --> 00:02:53.890 align:center line:-1 Sometimes it was Saturday afternoon before they got there. 29 00:02:53.900 --> 00:03:02.690 align:center line:-1 I waited so anxiously. Many years later, I talked about this with my parents, and they felt guilty about it, too. 30 00:03:02.700 --> 00:03:06.590 align:center line:-1 But at that time, because of their situation, they had no way around it. 31 00:03:06.600 --> 00:03:12.590 align:center line:-1 They were under intense pressure – “big-character posters, May 7 cadre school,” and everything else. 32 00:03:12.600 --> 00:03:15.990 align:center line:-1 Their position is understandable. 33 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:21.090 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: What happened then? Did you hear about their experiences? 34 00:03:21.100 --> 00:03:24.290 align:center line:-1 Actually, I have some impression of it. 35 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:26.390 align:center line:-1 Sometimes on the weekend, we’d go home. 36 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:39.590 align:center line:-1 [During the] Cultural Revolution, our family lived in Nanjing. At one point we lived near Zhongshan Gate – we were so close, we’d often go to Zhongshan Gate to play. 37 00:03:39.600 --> 00:03:44.240 align:center line:-1 Next to our house was the Mechanical and Electrical School. 38 00:03:44.250 --> 00:04:05.390 align:center line:-1 My parents worked for the geology department, and after they arrived in Guangdong, they worked for an ocean research institute. 39 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:19.290 align:center line:-1 One day -- I don’t remember how I ended up going there -- I saw a group of young people hiding behind the [Mechanical and Electrical School] building, 40 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:31.090 align:center line:-1 holding sticks and spears and saying that their opponents were on their way. 41 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:36.690 align:center line:-1 I saw a group of kids running towards us, also holding those red-tasseled spears. 42 00:04:36.700 --> 00:04:43.590 align:center line:-1 I heard someone say “Run!” so I ran away, not even daring to look back. 43 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:52.790 align:center line:-1 I did not witness what happened next, but later I heard that the violent struggle was really fierce that day. 44 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.240 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Were they college students? 45 00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:57.790 align:center line:-1 Yes, [they were] from the Electrical Engineering School – they must’ve been college students. 46 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:03.090 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: You must’ve been very small [at that time], but you had the courage to go watch [them fighting] -- you must’ve been following other children, right? 47 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:07.590 align:center line:-1 Probably. I don’t remember exactly how I got there, just that I got scared and ran away when the others did. 48 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:12.390 align:center line:-1 I only came back on weekends -- because I was staying in full-time childcare. 49 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:23.790 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Do you think the decade of the Cultural Revolution impacted your life later? Are you interested in this topic? 50 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:29.390 align:center line:-1 The impact wasn’t that deep. 51 00:05:29.400 --> 00:05:46.590 align:center line:-1 During the later phase of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), there was not as serious an impact as in the early stage, and after all, life was relatively simple at that time. 52 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:54.890 align:center line:-1 I remember collecting some things, like stamps, candy wrappers… My family collected Chairman Mao badges. 53 00:05:54.900 --> 00:06:04.590 align:center line:-1 We collected hundreds of them and liked to compare, to see who had newer ones. 54 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:12.140 align:center line:-1 After the Cultural Revolution, we had many boxes of Chairman Mao badges, and I didn’t know what to do with them. 55 00:06:12.150 --> 00:06:15.090 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: I remember we also had the same experience. 56 00:06:15.100 --> 00:06:21.290 align:center line:-1 We also compared whose Chairman Mao badges were more beautiful. 57 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:25.390 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Where did your parents attend the May 7 cadre school? 58 00:06:25.400 --> 00:06:32.390 align:center line:-1 It must’ve been in suburban Nanjing, since my family was in Nanjing. 59 00:06:32.400 --> 00:06:36.490 align:center line:-1 I don’t remember them going elsewhere. 60 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:41.140 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: You know, there were not many people who lived in as many places as you did during the decade of the Cultural Revolution. 61 00:06:41.150 --> 00:06:43.190 align:center line:-1 Right. [My parents] moved with their work units. 62 00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:53.790 align:center line:-1 I still remember that their entire work unit moved from Nanjing to Guangdong to work on oil and geological exploration. 63 00:06:53.800 --> 00:07:04.690 align:center line:-1 On the train to Guangdong, their work unit reserved two or three sleeper cars, and all the adults and children I knew were on them. 64 00:07:04.700 --> 00:07:07.790 align:center line:-1 They were all from the same work unit. 65 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:09.290 align:center line:-1 We stayed in Guangdong for many years. 66 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:22.340 align:center line:-1 Even though Guangdong was experiencing the Cultural Revolution as well, it didn’t seem to be impacted that much, being far [from the capital.] 67 00:07:22.350 --> 00:07:34.590 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: That’s something I wanted to ask you about -- if you lived in so many places, your feelings about the Cultural Revolution might be different from those who stayed in one place. 68 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:44.490 align:center line:-1 When we moved to Guangdong, we were like foreigners. Local Guangdong people spoke Cantonese, and their lifestyle was also different. 69 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:55.390 align:center line:-1 At the time, we lived in Zhanjiang. Zhanjiang is on Leizhou Peninsula, across the [Qingzhou] Strait from Hainan Island. 70 00:07:55.400 --> 00:08:02.890 align:center line:-1 In addition to my parents’ work unit, there were many [other] non-locals living there, as well as three big Naval divisions –the Political Department, 71 00:08:02.900 --> 00:08:05.390 align:center line:-1 the Military Command Department, and the Logistics Department. 72 00:08:05.400 --> 00:08:10.890 align:center line:-1 So we often hung out with [their children] a lot, and we spoke Mandarin at school. 73 00:08:10.900 --> 00:08:17.090 align:center line:-1 Actually, our Cantonese was not very good, because we did not have frequent interactions with the local Guangdong people. 74 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:25.390 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: It seems it wasn’t much like Beijing, where some work units went on strike, or stopped production to make revolution. 75 00:08:25.400 --> 00:08:30.190 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: [It seems like] your parents were still working during that time. 76 00:08:30.200 --> 00:08:39.470 align:center line:-1 Yes. Except for some minor effects in the early stage, [they] were still working, including the time when Xisha was at war. 77 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:48.490 align:center line:-1 My family was in Guangdong at that time. Some of my parents’ coworkers happened to be on a work-related trip on Xisha Island at that time. 78 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:54.440 align:center line:-1 Later, they told us they hid in the basement, not even knowing that Xisha was at war. 79 00:08:54.450 --> 00:09:04.790 align:center line:-1 It was only after they came out that they knew what was going on. 80 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:09.590 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Maybe it differed between work units. 81 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:23.890 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Not every unit was focused on the revolution -- your parents’ unit worked as usual, like many army units – a lot of them weren’t involved in the Cultural Revolution. 82 00:09:23.900 --> 00:09:28.590 align:center line:-1 Right. [The Cultural Revolution] had little influence on Guangdong, because [we were] far outside the government’s control. 83 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:40.990 align:center line:-1 My father began to learn English in 1972, 1973; he listened to broadcasts from Hong Kong, listened to Voice of America. 84 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:46.190 align:center line:-1 I have a deep impression of this. 85 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:48.190 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Oh really? You could listen to [the radio from Hong Kong] during the Cultural Revolution? 86 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:58.390 align:center line:-1 Yes. I remember clearly, it was before 1976, and he even asked for a book to be sent to him from Hong Kong. 87 00:09:58.400 --> 00:10:03.890 align:center line:-1 The book was produced really nicely, with very thin, almost transparent, but high-quality paper. 88 00:10:03.900 --> 00:10:07.190 align:center line:-1 Every time my father listened to VOA, we would all know it. 89 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:16.990 align:center line:-1 [Hums “Yankee Doodle”]: “This is the Voice of America” – we thought it was funny, this little “bourgeois” sound. 90 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:22.690 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: If this had happened in Beijing, VOA would have been the enemy station. 91 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:29.190 align:center line:-1 Yes, but Guangdong is far away [from the capital]. 92 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:30.990 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Your experiences are really interesting. 93 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:38.390 align:center line:-1 Most of the people I’ve interviewed stayed in one place during those ten years, but you moved between three locations. 94 00:10:38.400 --> 00:10:49.490 align:center line:-1 Yes. I remember that when I was on the train to Shanghai in 1976, I heard the news that [Premier] Zhou Enlai had passed away. 95 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:59.690 align:center line:-1 Everyone was shocked and looked serious. I remember that very well. 96 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:03.750 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Very good. Thank you again for the interview.
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