Interview with Hu Shenglong

Hu Shenglong (b. 1946) is a resident of Renjiagou Village, Shaanxi Province. In this interview, Hu recalls the life during the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine. During the Great Leap Forward, the local cadres lied about the grain production and added chaff into the grains. The villagers in Renjiagou started to eat at the communal canteen in 1958. Everyone only had four Liang of grains to eat everyday, so they had to eat tree leaves, tree bark and wild vegetables to fill the stomach. The communal canteen was eventually closed down in 1960. There was no wedding ceremony back then, because no one had enough food to treat the guests.

胡生龙1946年出生，是陕西省商洛市商南县城关镇任家沟村寨子沟村民。在这段口述中，胡老人回忆了大跃进和大饥荒时的生活。大跃进期间有些干部弄虚作假，把糠加到粮食产量里。任家沟村58年开始吃食堂，一人一天只有四两粮食，村民不够吃就吃树叶、树皮、野菜，食堂最终在60年解散。当时结婚也没有什么仪式，因为没有粮食招待客人。

Transcripts for this interview and more may be available under the ‘Documents’ link above. 采访抄录和相关内容，请点击查看上面的’Documents’链接。