The Famine Passes By
That the famine could pass so quickly was quite unexpected. I remembered back in 1960, there were many apprentices who came from the Gansu Province countryside and they had gone home to visit their families. They came back to tell that the famine would not pass for eight to ten years because all the farm cattle had been butchered, so there could be no reproduction. Also the supply of seeds for future crops had been eaten.
But, unexpectedly since 1963, people found that food was slowly progressively increasing. Pork began to be even more available than before 1957. You could buy pork without a coupon. It seemed that the terrible famine had passed after only three years.
What was the reason? It is simple and, of course, the Communist Party would want to take the credit. People could survive in this time if they lay down and did nothing. People can’t work when starving. The Communist Party should not poke their noses into this. Peasants can tillage by themselves. Our peasant compatriots saved our country from the dead edge and brought it back alive. From here I made out the hardworking and mighty Chinese people made out the great strength of masses. Originally, we Chinese people all along were celebrated for our hard work and diligence. The price we paid would be much more. We left our native areas. We worked all-day and attended meetings at night with no days off. We worked conscientiously several tens of years, when one pair, a man and wife could not support a child.