ABSTRACT
This chapter draws upon the author’s experience of researching the Cultural Revolution in Jiangsu to discuss the unique value of oral sources to historical research, and the problems to be aware of in collecting and processing oral histories. The author points out how firsthand oral sources often either intentionally or unintentionally avoid important information, and from there helps us to form a complete understanding of historical situation. The author points out that just like other types of historical sources, the collection and use of oral history sources should strive to be internally systematic and complete, and at the same time should reach a certain scale. Because of this, collecting and compiling oral histories is a wide-reaching, long-term difficult task.
