Interview with Liu Huaiyou

Liu Huaiyou (b. 1930) is a resident of Xingzhuangzi Village, Yang Town, Shunyi District, Beijing. After graduating from a normal school, Liu has been teaching for most of his life. In this interview, Liu recalled the life before and after 1949 as well as during Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution. During the Civil War when he was still in middle school, Liu secretly joined the Communist Party in Beijing and helped the army hide and transfer goods. During the Land Reform, Liu’s family was identified as rich peasants and therefore forced to move out of their own big house. The eight of them had to share two shabby rooms, in which, after some repairs, Liu is still living today. No law was strictly enforced back then, so robberies conducted by bandits were prevailing. Many people attacked and revenged others under the name of class struggle. In spite of this, Liu, who used to live under the cruel control of the Japanese, remains a patriot. During the Great Famine, Liu was provided only one steamed bun per meal, together with some radish slices. In 1966 during the Cultural Revolution when he was teaching in Shaling, he was framed and falsely accused of being an anti-revolutionist. Liu then had to go back home for reeducation through labor. It was not until 1979 that he was able to go back to Shaling to teach.

刘怀友1930年出生，是北京市顺义区杨镇辛庄子村村民，从师范学校毕业后教了一辈子书。在这段口述中刘老人回忆了解放前后、大饥荒以及文革时期的生活。解放前还在读中学的刘老人加入了共产党的北京地下工作者，帮八路军转运物资。土改期间，刘老人全家被定为富农成分，八口人被迫搬离自家大宅，住进两间危房。这房子后来经过修补，刘老人住到现在。当时并不讲究法律，土匪盛行，四处抢劫，经常有人借着斗争的名义滥用刑罚，打击报复。尽管如此，经历过抗战时期日本人残酷统治的刘老人仍一心爱国。大饥荒时期，刘老人一顿饭就吃一个饽饽，吃不饱就只能吃萝卜丝。66年文革期间，刘老人被人诬陷为反革命，被迫从原先教书的沙岭回到老家劳动改造，直到79年才回沙岭教书。

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。