Interview with Lu Fenglan, Cui Yuanfa, Dai Hongpu, and Dai Shunchang

Lu Fenglan (b. 1947) is a resident of Nanhou Village, Shanxi Province. In this interview, Lu talks about her experience during the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine. After the communal canteen was established in 1958, whoever didn’t work in the field couldn’t get any food from the canteen. Those who owed the production team work points had to be fined. Therefore, Lu had to ask someone to take care of her kids while she went to work at the dam. She had to pay the nanny with some of the work points she earned. Although her own life was quite difficult, Lu lent several buns to her maternal grandpa twice.

卢凤兰1947年出生，是山西省临汾市襄汾县古城镇南候村村民。在这段口述中卢老人讲述了大跃进和大饥荒期间的经历。58年开始吃食堂，不去地里干活就没有饭吃，如果欠工分还要罚钱。卢老人只能让别人帮忙照顾孩子，自己去坝上干活，挣的工分还得给保姆一部分。尽管自己生活困难，卢老人还给自己的姥爷借过两次馍。

Cui Yuanfa (b. 1935) is a resident of Xihou Village, Guchengzhen, Xiangfen county, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. In 1958, the nation mobilized all people to enter the Production of Iron and Steel. The village was using some local method to produce adulterated iron. The ores were carried from Daichi Village, Xi Moutain. Strong or young people ran several trips a day, while others did fewer trips. Military management was operated: people were divided into squads and models were elected. They had a decent harvest then. However, since everyone was occupied with iron and steel, few people were left to farm. Food was not good, mostly cornmeal, but people were generally spared from starving.

崔元发（ 1935年生）是山西省临汾市襄汾县古城镇西侯村村民。1958年时，国家动员全民参加炼钢铁事业。 当地做的是土炼，烧出来的不是纯铁。烧的矿石来源于西山戴驰村，年轻力壮的背四五趟，老弱残病两三趟。组织里都是军事管理，排连营，选模范。 那时候粮食收成不错，但是村民都去炼钢铁了，参加农活的人不多。食物质量不高，玉米面居多，但是基本能填饱肚子。 

Dai Hongpu is a resident of Fenchang Village, Shanxi Province. In this interview, Dai recalls the life during the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine. During the Great Leap Forward, most of the labor forces in the village went to build reservoirs or construct blast furnace, and only the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled were left in the village. As a result, no one took care of the ripe cotton or corns and let them rot in the field. The famine was the most severe in 1961, not only because the communal canteen didn’t have enough food but also because the villagers had finished all the food they saved in 1960.

戴宏蒲是山西省临汾市襄汾县汾常村村民。在这段口述中，戴老人回忆了大跃进和大饥荒时的生活。大跃进期间村里大部分劳动力都去修水利、炼钢铁，只剩下老弱病残，棉花、玉米熟了之后也无人打理，都烂在地里。61年饥荒最严重，因为食堂供应不足，而家里存的粮食都在60年吃完了。

Dai Shunchang is a resident of Chang Village, Xiangfen, Yaodu District, Linfen, Shanxi Province. Dai recollects that in 1958 they were trying to produce iron and steel: everyone went to carry ores and charcoal and people slept in the fields. People worked for work points and got paid at the end of the year after being charged for what they ate. In 1959, people ate at the canteen and people started to steal corns and burclovers. Cadres could have pumpkin flowers and seeds at the canteen.

戴顺昌是山西省临汾市尧都区襄汾县古城镇常村村民。戴老人回忆了1958年的大闹钢铁：所有人都要去背矿、背炭，路上睡到地里。 人们干活挣工分，年底除去饭钱分钱。1959年人们开始在食堂吃饭，一些人开始去偷玉米、苜蓿。干部去食堂吃的是南瓜花、南瓜仁。

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。