"I used to think my grandmother’s words were a crazy woman’s."

Interviewer: Hello.

Hello.

Interviewer: Thank you for accepting our interview today. Could you please tell me approximately when you were born?

Interviewer: You don't need to say the exact year; just "'90s" or "'80s" will do.

'90s.

Interviewer: 1990s. So of course, you were born after the Cultural Revolution. So, where have you lived for the past 20 years?

Chicago.

Interviewer: Oh, in America. At what age did you come to the U.S.?

At age four.

Interviewer: Could you think back to the first time you heard of the Cultural Revolution, if you remember anything?

Interviewer: Have you heard of the Cultural Revolution? Cultural Revolution [文化大革命]?

Yes, I've heard of it.

Interviewer: Approximately when did you hear about it?

It was in books at my school.

Interviewer: Oh.

Interviewer: So, you're saying it’s in American English language textbooks?

Right.

Interviewer: How did the textbooks tell about it? Do you still remember?

It was short, just one sentence.

Interviewer: How short was it? What did it say?

They said that in middle school, they'd start to tell a more detailed [细节] account.

When [the book] discussed China, it said that after World War II, the United States was doing this thing, and Japan was doing this thing, and China had a civil war [国共内战], right?

The Socialists [社会主义者] and Communists [共产党人] started fighting, and after that, there was the Cultural Revolution [文革].

They said it was one revolution [革命] among many in that era, and that’s all.

I’d also heard my parents mention it a little, but the version [I heard in school] was different, so I went home to ask for more details [细节].

Interviewer: Did your parents tell you about it?

Only a little.

For example, if we were watching a movie like

, my mom might say, “Wow, this is just like my childhood. Though we had to go to school, I never cared much about studying, and your dad didn’t, either.”

My dad was very unfortunate. He didn’t focus on his studies in high school, but then all of a sudden [society] told him if he wanted to go to college, he had to take the [entrance] exam, right?

So he spent the last few years [before the exam] frantically trying to catch up. But by then it was kind of too late.

Interviewer: Did they ever talk about their own parents’ experiences during the Cultural Revolution?

Well, I know my dad’s side of the family used to be affluent, was quite rich, but then when Mao Zedong came into power [掌权], as far as I know their money was seized.

So I don’t exactly know what my paternal grandfather’s reaction was, but after that my paternal grandmother never really respected the government’s words again -- now she doesn't believe any of it.

She has also refused to drive, go traveling [旅行], or take a vacation, because she’s afraid it will invite thieves, actually the government, to sneak in and steal things.

Or, if she sends me a necklace or something pretty, she'll tell me to hide it deep in my pocket’s pocket’s pocket. She’s never had any--

Interviewer: --no sense of security!

Yeah.

Interviewer: So do you have any interest in the topic of the Cultural Revolution yourself? Do you want to understand it more?

I do want to understand it more. I used to think my grandmother’s words were a crazy woman’s.

I mean, how can you think the government is going to come into your home and steal your stuff? But after learning more about it, I can at least see how she began to think that way.

Interviewer:

Pharmacy.

Interviewer: Pharmacy has no relation to the humanities, to social sciences. Through what channel did you come to understand more about the Cultural Revolution?

[The University of] Pittsburgh has elective courses, so you can take Pharmacy as a major [主修], and in the meantime study something else for a minor [辅修].

So I chose Chinese, saved some time by skipping the language courses, and instead took some [Chinese] poetry classes, some [Chinese] history, some [Chinese] art classes…

Interviewer: So, there are plenty of opportunities to keep in contact with –

Also, the University of Pittsburgh sets up a lot of events [students] can attend, so I try to attend them.

Interviewer: So, among students with the same background as you, who came to the U.S. when they were young, do you think there are many who are concerned with China’s history like you are?

A decent amount. I think the majority, like me, want to understand more, but don't have the time to invest.

Or, some others don’t much interest, but feel pressure that it should be one of their interests.

Then, there are some who really don’t want to think about these topics -- they might say it’s boring.

I've also noticed that of my friends, the ones who are closer to their parents will be more interested.

I have a friend who I invite every time the university has a talk because I know she’s interested, and she’s not even Chinese, she’s Taiwanese, and was born in the U.S., but because she is close to her parents, she’s interested.

Interviewer: You’ve probably encountered a lot of international students from the mainland, right?

Yes. My roommate is from the mainland.

Interviewer: Do you feel that they are concerned about these topics? Do they know a lot [about the Cultural Revolution]?

When they first come, I’m sure they’ve heard of these topics from their parents. I don’t think the schools really teach much about it.

I know my roommate once told me… well, one [roommate] is really not interested, but I've talked about it with another one, who really got into the topic,

and she said, "When I came here, I believed China had a few problems, and I thought America just really hated China for some reason...

"...But after I came, I learned about all these other problems China has, and want to discuss them with everyone, these problems that we in China have never even heard about."

Interviewer: So, meaning topics like the Cultural Revolution, which aren't brought up very often in China, right?

Yes, right. So she only heard about them after arriving in the U.S., and that’s where some interest came from.

Interviewer: Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and thoughts.

Thank you.