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"April 27 1998: Last fall's collards have bloomed and set seed. Tomorrow, they give way to sunflowers and okra." Original/ Fragile

Note birds eating sunflower seeds; also in Drawings file (D-41). Sketch only.

Print. Also in Botanicals with variation.

folder contains job numbers 0418-99, 0419-99, 0424-99

Qiu Jiafa (b.1940) is a resident of Diaoyutai Village, Yindian Town, Suizhou City, Hubei Province. During the Great Famine, Qiu was in middle school and his teachers led students to find oak tree seed and bark, vitex leaves and Chinese scholar tree flowers for food. All members of the production team had to participate in building the reservoir and a meal provided by the People's Commune Canteen included only two liang of rice and boiled water grass. Qiu's father starved to death in 1959. Qiu believes that the Great Famine happened partly because the cadres much exaggerated the grain production to gain political achievements, and partly because the cadres stole some grain given by the government. Commune members of the production team dared not report because they were afraid of the vengency from the cadres.

Tang Taozhen (b. 1937) is a resident of Jimingqiao Village, Baiyun Town, Shimen County, Hunan Province. In this interview, Tang recalls how she cooked in the people's commune canteen, and how some villagers ate grass seeds because of starvation. Tang also recalls no babies were born during 1958 and 1961 because couples were working separately at different places and they were too starving.

Tang Chaogao (b. 1944) is a resident of Jimingqiao Village, Baiyun Town, Shimen County, Hunan Province. In this interview, Tang briefly talks about how he ate tree bark and grass seeds because of starvation when running the people's commune canteen.