This title was the response to, “chī fàn le ma?” which is a popular greeting in China. The question roughly translates to “have you eaten yet”. The answer–my title–and the words spoken on stage: “i still haven’t”.
I have been studying China a lot this year, and recently declared my CAPS minor (China and Asia-Pacific Studies). I have been learning the Chinese Language, and also taking a class called “China Under Revolution and Reform”. This art that i witnessed on stage took a swing at encapsulating the Great Leap Forward’s Great Famine, and the impression it left with me was something of disbelief, overwhelming sadness, sympathy, and anger.
The actors all went back to their families’ hometowns and interviewed the oldest person they could find, or older family still living there.
The amount of pure sadness that was still in the hearts of the interview’d was almost intolerable to even hear about. I tried to imagine living the lives that they were forced to live. I couldn’t.
Most of the art that was presented on stage also aligned perfectly with the history i had been learning in my class. The words i read in a book for that class however, prepared me naught for the sheer heartbreak and emotion raptured onstage. These were real people, i thought, and their stories aren’t in history books (they by all means should be).
Leaving the auditorium, i couldn’t talk. i was stunted in 1959-61 with the Zhōngguó rén (chinese people) i had just connected with. The most disturbing thing, possibly the most disgusting thing that hit me, was the thought that this famine wasn’t the central government’s fault. One of the interviewed said:
“Without the Communist Party, There Will Be No New China.”
– a popular communist propaganda song from the 1940’s
First, I have to say that you really get correct Chinese words spelling in pinyin. That is really awesome.
Then, as for the tragedy that you mentioned in the documentary. Although I didn’t actually see the doc, I just want to add a few of my thoughts. Every historical event has its own historical context and you may want to put it in the historical context to get a comprehensive understanding of why it happened. 1959-61 is the period shortly after the establishment of new China government in 1949 when China had fought long with the Fascists and gained national independence. So, people at that time really had a goal to make the country stronger and richer. However, this at the same time led to the blindness of following the policies from the central government. Unrealistic ethos was spread in the society, resulting in the sharp decrease in agricultural productivity. Besides, the distribution system is a another factor that accounts for the Famine. It is true that the central government especially some radical policymakers should be blamed for this tragedy. It is also important to understand some other factors that contribute to it. That is to say, the Famine has complex historical and political roots.