WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.310 --> 00:00:11.090 align:center line:-1Interviewer: Thank you for accepting my interview. First, could you please tell me when you were born? You don’t need to say the exact year; just the decade will do, such as “’30s,” “’40s,” “’50s”… 2 00:00:11.100 --> 00:00:13.190 align:center line:-1 I was born in the 1970s. 3 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:22.190 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Where were you born and where did you grow up? 4 00:00:22.200 --> 00:00:25.190 align:center line:-1 In Northeast China. 5 00:00:25.200 --> 00:00:37.590 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Could you tell us, as far as you can remember, when did you first gain an impression of the Cultural Revolution? Through what channel did you get this impression? 6 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:51.040 align:center line:-1 I probably can’t think of exactly when it was, but it must’ve been pretty early, most likely when I was in elementary school. People in my family, such as my mother, often brought it up. 7 00:00:51.050 --> 00:00:57.490 align:center line:-1 When the Cultural Revolution started, she was in elementary school, and later she went “down to the countryside.” 8 00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:01.290 align:center line:-1 She studied hard, but because of the interruption of the Cultural Revolution, she did not go to college. 9 00:01:01.300 --> 00:01:05.390 align:center line:-1 This is something that always bothered her. 10 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:09.490 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: So you learned about it from your family and their experiences. 11 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:19.140 align:center line:-1 Right, through my family. Later, my major touched upon some historical facts regarding the Cultural Revolution. 12 00:01:19.150 --> 00:01:22.090 align:center line:-1 So, after growing up, my understanding has advanced a bit. 13 00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:27.040 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Are you personally interested in the topic of the Cultural Revolution? 14 00:01:27.050 --> 00:01:29.640 align:center line:-1 Yes, I can say I’m quite interested in it. 15 00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:31.880 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Is it related to your major? 16 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:33.090 align:center line:-1 It’s closely related. 17 00:01:33.100 --> 00:01:37.890 align:center line:-1 I’ve even been a teaching assistant for a special class on the Cultural Revolution. 18 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:54.790 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Oh, OK. If I give you a few minutes to say anything you like, what would you want to share regarding your research or what interests you about the Cultural Revolution? 19 00:01:54.800 --> 00:02:00.290 align:center line:-1 I’d like to offer some perceptions that are distinct from my major. 20 00:02:00.300 --> 00:02:10.140 align:center line:-1 My mother and [one of] my undergraduate teachers happen to be around the same age, but their feelings about the Cultural Revolution are completely different; this has left me with a deep impression. 21 00:02:10.150 --> 00:02:19.890 align:center line:-1 My mom told me that although she went “down to the countryside,” when she looks back on that time period now, she has good memories. 22 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:26.140 align:center line:-1 These days, she and the classmates with whom she went “down to the countryside” often get on WeChat and sing songs from the Cultural Revolution era. 23 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:36.690 align:center line:-1 During holidays, they take turns singing songs from those times. So, she really misses it. Also, she said when Mao Zedong died, she happened to be on a train. 24 00:02:36.700 --> 00:02:45.690 align:center line:-1 She said she was wiping the tears streaming down her face, and a lot of the people sitting around her were doing the same; the feeling was really sincere. 25 00:02:45.700 --> 00:02:53.440 align:center line:-1 My teacher and my mom were born in the same year, but my teacher went to college later on. 26 00:02:53.450 --> 00:03:06.690 align:center line:-1 He said that year [1976] he was in an [Educated Youth] collective household, and when they heard the news that Mao had died, they went out and bought meat and wine to celebrate, saying, “Our future is taking a turn for the better.” 27 00:03:06.700 --> 00:03:15.890 align:center line:-1 Obviously, these two people born in the same year have completely opposite feelings about the Cultural Revolution. This really shocked me. 28 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:32.490 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: You are quite sensitive; you quickly wondered, why would two people of the same age have totally different feelings? Thank you so much for the interview. 29 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:34.965 align:center line:-1 You’re welcome!
Reddit
Twitter
Facebook