Born in early 80's in Shanghai, the memories of my childhood is quite close to most of things shown in this clip - except the culture revolution was already over, lucky me. The soul of Shanghai in 80's had changed again. The western culture influence was back again in all shapes and forms. I remember my uncles listening to Laura Branigan's Self Control and going to disco. And I miss the breakfast shown in the clip, yum!
"History shows that sooner or later every revolution turns conservative. The culture revolution as Mao's monumental attempt to stop that from happening in china, for that moment he had succeeded. But this is China, which for a thousand years has absorbed shock after shock, from Mongols to Manchus, from imperialism to communism. Communism is changing china, but China is also changing communism; the largest state in the world never change its state of mind completely. We have seen a fragment for a moment, and that moment may already be gone." This one is my favorite.
I am the director in Shanghai TV Station . Could you please have some contact with Wu’s family and Shanghai Tv station ,we can have another interview with them. Thanks
Born in exactly that year, I am so grateful to the filmmaker for reserving such precious footages. The nostalgic streets, housings, daily lives, and dialects. It's doggy hot summer now in Shanghai and back in those days, we will all go out to sit on bamboo stools, couches, and even beds in the open spaces like squares, streets, alleys, small yards. Children playing around in the street lights, adults chatting or even drinking (usually water) together. In the end of the 1970's, some places even had TV sets that everyone can watch, most of them are only equipped with a 9 inch screen.
it's such a precious documentary... I have aunts who were born very poor during that era now became a famous doctor and buying properties worth a few million dollars, the change for them is unimaginable.
very interesting video, I studied in Shanghai, visited fudan once as well, though born in a nearby city, but local dialect reminds me so much about when I was there
Thanks. I have tried to make my clips available in China, but do not know how. I cannot read their characters either. RU-vid gives no figures of Chinese viewers except for Hong Kong.
as an American business man I've been living in shanghai since 1997...the changes are incredible' some of the changes are for the worse, they keep destroying some of the most beautiful architecture...but' oh what a city!!!!
Shanghai have some of the best athletes in China, like Yao Ming and Lui Xiang. Maybe because it has a better living conditions since the old days and people get to be fed enough. The cultivation of western classical music also took an important place in modern china (after communist rule). Even today, classical music lessons are as important in Chinese schools. Many Chinese music students left for Europe and US to specialise in music and become musicians there.
I grew up in a city 300km from Shanghai in the 1970s. Unlike in this documentary, 1973 was a time of shortages. I vividly remember shortages and rationing in cooking oil, meat, sugar, tofu (any soy protein products), cigarette, or even matches. Soy sauce was one of the few things that wasn't rationed. Rice/wheat were rationed, with adult male, female, elderly and child each with a specific allotted amount per month. When purchasing cereal-based food, even at a restaurant (a rare luxury for most), cereal rationing coupons along with money must be spent in exchange for the food.
Yes, the living standard of the "normal people" shown in this film is significantly higher than average Chinese people's living standard at that time. Just as "8 of 10 Chinese people are producing food" implied, this film only shows that 2/10 urban people.
Can't you see the people in the documentary were pre-set, remember this is during culture revolution, a foreigner wouldn't be easily allowed to interview people without government's permission.
Yes I am 100 percent sure my parents were not living as well as those Beijing and Shanghai urban people did at that time, maybe starving, except houses are much bigger in smaller cities.
They are in in abject poverty, I feel sad watching this, they are our fathers, mother, grandfather, and mother, Shanghai changed a lot right now, but we never forget the past, and think why we were in that situation, and what should we do to stop us back to the past. Thank you for posting.
The families always seem happy eating and laughing. Like the families in HongKingn . living in their junks. Laughing putting the kids in bed. Then the adults plays theur games in a little tabe to relax when the chores are done. I like Oriental peoples. I have friends that are Chinese.May God Bless. Thanks
the woman student has such a distinct shanghai accent when speaking english wow. sounds exactly like my ex's mom, from the exact same region at the exact same age.
Tjis China is totally different from the China today. When I see on youtube the China today with the China of those years, I have only admire the huge steps you have done as Chinese since 70's until today to progress. Blessing people.
Hello, I really have enjoyed watching the videos on your channel and thank you for sharing them. I am working on a video project and would love to use a few clips. I was wondering whether this would be possible? It would be greatly appreciated.
i,m 65 and have going back and forth shanghai and the USA..were u born in shanghai ? i now live in xujiahui. district of shanghai, .as an American business man..i sooo' love the Chinese and the country, shanghai is my 2nd home.
It was Not Deng Xiaoping that created Shenzhen. Mao has already established foreign relationship with the UK and Germany and also started to establish relationship with the US before he died by meeting President Nixon in 1972. The formal ritual was delayed by Nixon's step down due to Watergate Scandal, then Mao's successors kept working on it till 1979 formally completely established. Again, Hua guo feng, Hu Yaobang, Zhao ziyang had already planned to make Shenzhen a new economic development zone for a try and he had sent three business and scientific delegations in different times in 1977 and early 1978 to Europe to observe and study the advance technical skills and managements. Deng Xiaoping, like Cixi, took over the power from Hua Guo feng and gloried himself for everything. In fact, the only thing he did was not stopping the openpolicy. But in his days, he ruined China environment, disordered the civilized harmony social orders, and made Chinese people have no goodness in business conduction, behaving like wild animals without grace manners. I am glad that Xi jingling made the environment better and the social order better today.
DavidisDawei Shit, not Deng Xiaoping created Shenzhen. Mao has started to establish relationship with the US before he died by meeting President Nixon in 1972. The formal ritual was delayed by Nixon's step down due to Watergate Scandal, then Mao's successors kept working on it till 1979 formally completely established. Again, Hua guo feng, Hu Yaobang, Zhaoziyang have made the plan to make Shenzhen a new economic development zone for a try and he had sent three delegations in different times in 1977 and early 1978 to Europe to observe and study the advance technical skills and managements. Deng Xiaoping, like Cixi, took over the power from Hua Guo feng and gloried himself for everything.
17:22 "Communism is changing china but china is also changing communism....we have seen a fragment for a moment but that moment might already be gone!" what a wonderful and deep observation! Mao died three years later and the rest is history
Newton's Law told us, that mass has inertia. The greater the mass is, the greater the inertia will have. For a nation, the inertia is the history and tradition. The longer the history is, the harder for changes to be made.
The video pictures true colour of Shanghai in 70s. "Family pool of income 90 RMB, 1/3 in food..." well fed 3-5 person include grandpa or grandma, a token in rent, but housing crowded, same as HK.
