Approximately 17 million privileged city youths were “sent down” to the countryside to learn from the peasants during China’s chaotic Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Toil in the communes was arduous and unpleasant and food was seldom abundant, but like the local farmers, they endeavored to make do with what there was. They learned to prepare remarkably tasty and healthy dishes with the fresh, wholesome, locally grown foods in season, to conserve scarce fuel and to improvise when ingredients were unavailable.
These are their recipes—entirely authentic, and easy to prepare in an American kitchen. Many are vegetarian and don’t require exotic ingredients. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, and short cuts and substitutions are listed. There are also many stories—about Chinese food, about the Cultural Revolution, and about living in the countryside—that bring the recipes, and the era, to life!
Sasha Gong earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at Peking University and a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University and has held teaching posts at UCLA, George Washington University, and George Mason University. She is the author of Born American: A Chinese Woman’s Dream of Liberty. Scott D. Seligman is a writer, historian, retired corporate executive, and a career “China hand.” He has a B.A. degree in history from Princeton University and an M.A. degree from Harvard University, and is the author of several books on China.
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