ABSTRACT
The principal narrator in this chapter is Wang Fucheng’s son, Wang Dejun. The interviews were conducted in April 1990. Dejun had succeeded his father as Party secretary, but it is clear that he had little enthusiasm for the job. His attitudes are a good illustration of the general malaise that had overtaken the Communist Party in the 1980s. I wanted to learn from the new Party secretary about recent changes in the village and future prospects. Our discussion covered a range of topics including politics, clan matters, women, birth control, divorce, health, education, and religion. He was most animated when we discussed religion. Indeed, that topic was the focus of village attention and conversation when I visited in 1990. A new temple to a village deity was in the final stages of completion, and a new clan temple was being constructed. Traditional funeral rites had been fully restored after having been forbidden by the Communists for several decades. I was privileged to observe a funeral while I was there. A matron of the He clan had just died, and a great many relatives had gathered to pay their respects. When I asked if I could photograph the ceremonies, the He family enthusiastically agreed, for there was not another camera in the village and they were delighted to have a photographic record.
