Interview with Wang Yingying

Wang Yingying (b. 1946) is a resident of Renjiagou Village, Shaanxi Province. In this interview, Gao recalls the life during the Great Famine. Wang was still attending elementary school in 1958 in her hometown. All the grain and land belonged to the agricultural cooperative. The villagers had two meals of sweet potatoes and corns everyday. Because they didn’t have money to buy medicine, if they got sick, they could only prepare some home-made remedies. The communal canteen was closed down in 1959. After that, the villagers cooked and ate at home, and had to frequently eat tree bark and wild vegetables. In 1961, in order to make some extra money for salt, Wang frequently walked for over 6 miles to sell firewood.

王莹莹1946年出生，是陕西省商洛市商南县城关镇任家沟村石门组村民。在这段口述中，高老人回忆了大饥荒时期的生活。王老人58年还在老家上小学，粮食和土地都属于农业社，一天吃两顿饭，都是红薯和苞谷。生病也没钱买药治，就自己弄点偏方吃。59年食堂就拆了，之后村民各自回家做饭，经常要靠吃树皮、野菜填饥。61年为了挣点钱买盐买吃的，王老人经常挑柴禾二十多里地外的地方卖。

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。