Interviewer: 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”…
I was born in the 1970s.
Interviewer: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
In Northeast China.
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?
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.
When the Cultural Revolution started, she was in elementary school, and later she went “down to the countryside.”
She studied hard, but because of the interruption of the Cultural Revolution, she did not go to college.
This is something that always bothered her.
Interviewer: So you learned about it from your family and their experiences.
Right, through my family. Later, my major touched upon some historical facts regarding the Cultural Revolution.
So, after growing up, my understanding has advanced a bit.
Interviewer: Are you personally interested in the topic of the Cultural Revolution?
Yes, I can say I’m quite interested in it.
Interviewer: Is it related to your major?
It’s closely related.
I’ve even been a teaching assistant for a special class on the Cultural Revolution.
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?
I’d like to offer some perceptions that are distinct from my major.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My teacher and my mom were born in the same year, but my teacher went to college later on.
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.”
Obviously, these two people born in the same year have completely opposite feelings about the Cultural Revolution. This really shocked me.
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.
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