Interview with Zhao Yongyao

Zhao Yongyao (b. 1929), who worked as the leader of the production team, is a resident of Wangjiayan Village, Baiyun Town, Shimen County, Hunan Province. In this interview, Wang recalls how he led the “sister group” to conduct farming experiment, how 95% of the reservoir workers had been tied and beaten, and how the bone of some villagers’ ancestors were digged out of tombs and then were boiled to make farming fertilizer. Zhao estimates that 18 villagers died of starvation when running the people’s commune canteen. Zhao also mentions that few babies were born during 1958 and 1961.

赵永耀（1929年生）是湖南省石门县白云乡王家堰村村民，曾担任生产队干部。在这段口述中，赵老人讲述了自己在大跃进期间率领“姐妹队”进行种田实验，修和平水库的百分之九十五的人都遭捆打，为了提高农田产量打狗挖坟、熬肉和骨头做肥料的情况。赵老人估算村里食堂饿死18个人，另外1958年至1961年期间出生的孩子很少。

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。