ABSTRACT
My discussions with Wang Fucheng began at the beginning, with his memories of the early years of his life. We discussed his family, their living conditions, the two villages in which he lived, customs, religious beliefs, and holidays. I asked him to recall the happiest and unhappiest times of his youth and to describe the effects of major events such as the famine of 1942, the Japanese invasion and occupation of northern Henan Province, and the rise of the Communist Party in the area. Information about these things had to be drawn from the recesses of Wang Fucheng’s memory little by little. Much of it he had not thought about in a long time. His wife, Wang Xianghua, listened with interest, occasionally putting in a word. She reminded him, for instance, that when he was young he was so obscure and insignificant that no one knew his name. Occasionally Wang Fucheng would call in others, like his friend Wang Changmin, to help refresh his memory. Other villagers would drop in too, partly out of curiosity about the foreigner in their midst, and would frequently offer their comments. Eventually, Wang Fucheng had to close his gate to control the crowd.
