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.

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!

OH MY GOSH I know every one of those dancers and teachers personally. They are in their 70s now, it's strange to see them so young!!!!

"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.

Thanks for all these videos. It's like stepping back in time.

the professor chose his words EXTREMELY carefully. amazing.

make me miss my grandmother so much..they all look very elegant even in bad financial condition at that period

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.

Just discovered your channel this morning excellent and exceptional informative, thank you so much , will certainly watch everything on your channel.

Thanks. I have tried to make my clips available in China, but do not know how. I cannot read their characters either. KZfaq gives no figures of Chinese viewers except for Hong Kong.

good good ,非常珍贵的视频。

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

那时候虽然穷，但是活的很开心。

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.

It would be so cool to see how the Wu family is doing now! Shanghai 40years after!

that's my mother town, and my memories of childhood. thanks!

感谢你的记录，记录了过去的上海

The students spoke very good English, at that time.

I am a Chinese, see dozens of years ago in China, sensory changes too big, very glad to see your work, you are welcome to China

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.

now I see what my moms childhood looks like. so cool :)

Your videos are fantastic! My family and I really have enjoyed watching it. Thank you!

I can't believe you were there to capture all this on film! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your share this picture.

Thanks!! I was so nice to watch and know about the chinese of early days!! 🇳🇵Love from Nepal !!!

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.

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

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.

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.

Thank you very much to share and I would recommend this clip to friends.

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.

My partner is from mainland China. These interviews are no longer possible. It is very sad.

1953 I was in shanghai .I still remember that time so poor.

2:52 Yes, we love living five people in one room.

Very good comments that have stand to this times!

Thanks for uploading such videos!

这会也就是上海的条件是比较好的。其他地方73年惨不忍睹

当年我上高一。三个姐姐在广东农村当知青。我校饭堂午餐每人分到两片像纸一样薄的肥猪肉。在长身体的中学时代十分饥饿很难饱餐。我和我的同学普遍身材瘦小。 “贫穷不是社会主义”至今依然摘地有声。

珍贵的视频，国内根本不可能看得见了，多谢迈克尔大叔的分享！ 此处的上海应该是70年左右，但是这里面的宣传的成分很大，我问过单位的50后，他一看就说视频的人家吃饭那伙食绝对是当时中国社会中的佼佼者了，这也说明当时外国记者也是有限制的去拍摄，为什么不去中西部的农村拍拍看，那才是真实的中国！

中國對蘇聯的還債高峰期在1959年至1964年，正值國內經濟最困難階段。但中國這一時期平均每年還債數額僅為10億元人民幣，而這一時期每年國家財政支出平均在400億元人民幣以上，還債款額僅占國家年財政支出的1/40而已，尚不及同期中國援外的費用多。 1961年4月25日中國與阿爾巴尼亞經濟會談公報，稱中國政府同意對阿爾巴尼亞在建設化學、冶金、電力、建築材料、輕工業等25個項目方面，提供成套設備和給予技術援助。同時，中國還同意向阿爾巴尼亞供應糧食和其他主要食品，雖然中國人民當時正在餓肚子。（1961年4月26日《人民日報》） 1962年初，中國承諾對外援助69億多元人民幣，主要是越南、朝鮮、蒙古、阿爾巴尼亞，其次是柬埔寨、巴基斯坦、尼泊爾、埃及、馬里、敘利亞、索馬里等亞非國家。中蘇關係緊張之後，中國更加擴大了對外援助的規模。

Fascinating how fast things have changed then and even now a little over 2 generations ago

very interesting documentary to understand China transformation in the last 45 years through hard work and education, very disciplined people.

I've read Life & Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng. The neutrality toward the end of this video surprised me.

An very young and confident Xu Jingxian at 15:45, Shanghai's third mayor then.

And then Deng Xiaoping created Shenzhen and in many ways China has become more capitalistic than any Western country today

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.

到吴家采访了。

really enjoy your channel, have you let the footages available in china other than youtube?

I was just in Shanghai and I really like that city. Before I had a drink at Starbucks, I looked for clothes at Abercrombie and Fitch.

The Cultural Revolution description reminds me of what happened with Trump in January

Shanghai, my home town

11:58 they are singing a variant of the beiyang army song, the 3 principle and 8 notices,

好可爱的一家人

wow, thanks for this video.

Sounds like culture revolution gave the student a sense of purpose

I'm awaiting their response. Of so few persons in my 820 clips do I know their subsequent fate.

This lady spoke so standard shanghainess you can't hear in ShangHai nowdays！

it would be an experience to meet the students in 14.17.

Great video!!

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

thank you.

the shanghai today is like an empty shell of its former self. the soul is no longer there.

你们有想过40年前的40前是怎样的吗？

thank you!~~michael!~~~

A good documentary of a bad time. It helps to understand the Lost Generation of China.

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.

一个穷得起,也富得起的伟大坚强的中华民族!

People seems more happy than now......Why?

1973 still in the late stage of culture revolution

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 development might not be there But just see the cleanliness

Shanghai same as Hongkong, people live in slum house. If you go to Beijing, Chongqing Chengdu, or most other cities, a different story.

2:13 these toys' quality is higher than many cheap Chinese toys nowadays

Not only shanghai all around the world many poor people at that time.

I never saw this video. Maybe the mother and father is still alive as well as the kids. Thanks

I am sir lanka . New 2021

The gap between Shanghai in the 1970s and today is like New York today vs 1920. Not talking so much about technology.. rather everything .

Now i know my home better ~ thanks :)

Interesting how the students then were taught and spoke good English

the boy and girl in the video are more than 50 years old

Their english level is 💯❤️

我妈妈十几岁的时代

我发现那个时候上海人普遍龅牙啊。。。有相关解释吗？

Back in the days when everybody was kung fu fighting...

Imagine how advanced and peaceful Humanity would have been with out the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, Scottish, Turkey, United states, Germans, Italians.

I’m thinking that little red book the revolutionaries are waving around is not anything by Ayn Rand.

Dank u voor deze unieke beelden (u bent toch nederlands, ik las over u in de volkskrant)

An interesting fact: despite what the people said in this footage, many Chinese, especially those in Shanghai and Beijing already stopped believing in the Culture Revolution. It started 2 years before this film was shot, when the number one deputy of Mao Zedong was killed in a air crash during his escape from China. Lin Biao, which is his name, rose to the 2nd in command during the Culture Revolution, and was regarded as the "closest student and comrade of Chairman Mao", as well as the successor to Mao. So his betray and death was a huge blow to the image of Mao and his project. Fortunately, Mao died too, years after this film.

Wow, show this to any Chinese person who lived through that and watch them weep. Shanghai in 1973 was poor, decrepit and beset by political chaos, this 'report' is pure propaganda. Who on earth were these 'journalists', fellow-travellers or just naive and hampered by their government handlers? Were they the friendly crew invited over by the Chinese government to 'balance' Antonioni's film which they hadn't liked? Ask anyone in Shanghai if they prefer then or now, go on.

I like Mao's day much more than it is today in China. Back then, life has no pressure, blue sky green mountains, people treat people nicely. no need to lock the door at night.

❤Mao❤

Why does the narrator sound so biased?

Deep down the "system" has made them very unhappy indeed.

good

9:08 that sounds hard...

Chinese is the most pragmatic race in the world. You can see not just in China, but, the diaspora around the world

باید فکر کرد. همه آنهایی که در فیلم هستن .الان معلوم نیست زنده هستند یا نه. ما هم یه روز خواهیم مرد. این خیلی مهم است.

@diaperzombie Heel opmerkzaam van u !

中國援外費用數額 雖然蘇聯沒有對中國逼債，但困難時期，中國確實是在向蘇聯還債，則是毋庸置疑的。但若要說這種還債，加劇了中國的經濟困難，則同樣不是事實。 中國對蘇聯的還債高峰期在1959年至1964年，正值國內經濟最困難階段。但中國這一時期平均每年還債數額僅為10億元人民幣，而這一時期每年國家財政支出平均在400億元人民幣以上，還債款額僅占國家年財政支出的1/40而已，尚不及同期中國援外的費用多。 1961年4月25日中國與阿爾巴尼亞經濟會談公報，稱中國政府同意對阿爾巴尼亞在建設化學、冶金、電力、建築材料、輕工業等25個項目方面，提供成套設備和給予技術援助。同時，中國還同意向阿爾巴尼亞供應糧食和其他主要食品，雖然中國人民當時正在餓肚子。（1961年4月26日《人民日報》） 1962年初，中國承諾對外援助69億多元人民幣，主要是越南、朝鮮、蒙古、阿爾巴尼亞，其次是柬埔寨、巴基斯坦、尼泊爾、埃及、馬里、敘利亞、索馬里等亞非國家。中蘇關係緊張之後，中國更加擴大了對外援助的規模。 大饑荒的1961年，援外支出接近償還外債的支出--阿爾巴尼亞與北京談判的主要代表希(PupoShyti)曾經說道：“在中國，我們當然看得到饑饉。可是，我們要什麼中國就給什麼，我們只需要開開口。我感到很慚愧”。1962年後，援外支出遠遠超過了償債支出。