Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Geng Xiufeng Diaries
- Dates:
- 1944-1992
- Abstract:
- Writings of Geng Xiufeng, peasant activist and leader from the village of Wugong, China. The collection contains 55 bound, handwritten diaries and one folder of loose pages written by Geng from 1944 to 1992, documenting his reactions to agricultural reforms directed by the state.
- Extent:
- 3.4 Linear feet (9 archives boxes)
- Language:
- Chinese
- Preferred citation:
-
Geng Xiufeng Diaries, MSS 718. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Geng Xiufeng Diaries, comprised of 55 bound, handwritten diaries and one folder of loose pages, were written by Geng Xiufeng from 1944 to 1992. The diaries, written in Chinese, document Geng's life in the village of Wugong, China, as well as his thoughts on the government and agricultural reforms directed by the state.
Volumes were numbered by Paul Pickowicz and are arranged in numerical order by those numbers. Several of the volumes have dates in English on the cover or first page. These are noted when they occur, but may not represent the entire date range within.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Geng Xiufeng was born in the village of Wugong, China, in 1913. Geng received seven years of primary education and worked in education and publishing. In the 1940s his interest in agrarian socialism led him to organize several small agricultural cooperatives. He later particiated in the formation of one of the first large co-ops in his home village of Wugong and continued to promote co-op formation for many years.
In the 1980s Geng met American historian Paul Pickowicz who was interviewing North China peasants for oral history research projects. Geng shared with him volumes of his writings, which included a record of events in his life, his thoughts on state directed agricultural reforms, and letters written to powerful officials. Pickowicz used these writings as key sources for two books and several articles including: Chinese Village, Socialist State (Yale 1991) and Revolution, Resistance, and Reform in Village China (Yale, 2005).
Geng had a stroke in 1995, which forced him to stop writing. He died in 1999.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired 2010.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2019-02-15 14:44:00 -0800 .
Access and use
- Terms of access:
-
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
- Preferred citation:
-
Geng Xiufeng Diaries, MSS 718. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
- Location of this collection:
-
9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0175La Jolla, CA 92093-0175, US
- Contact:
- (858) 534-2533