Interview with Meng Shiwu and Qi Tengyuan

Meng Shiwu (b. 1945) is a resident of Shaziying Village, Yang Town, Shunyi District, Beijing. Qi Tengyuan (b. 1951) was married to Meng and therefore moved to Shaziying Village. In this interview, Meng and Qi recall the life during the Great Famine. Meng points out, because of the natural disaster, poor economy and the debt owed to Soviet Union, it was a very difficult time for the whole nation. People in the countryside lived on the work points earned through working at the production team, so they could not make much money. During the Great Famine, Qi was not married yet so stayed at home in northeast China. The life there was even harder. Her little sister had chondropathy because of malnutrition. Some people even dug mud in the river to eat.

蒙士武1945年出生，是北京市顺义区杨镇沙子营村民，齐腾远1951年出生，年轻时嫁给蒙老人，搬到了沙子营。在这段口述中，两位老人回忆了大饥荒时期吃食堂的经历。蒙老人指出，当时自然灾害，国民经济紧张，再加上要还苏联的债，所以特别困难。农村人靠挣工分，根本赚不到什么钱。大饥荒时期齐老人还没结婚，住在东北老家，生活更加困难，她的小妹子因为营养不良得了软骨病，村里甚至有人挖河里的泥来吃。

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。