During China’s Cultural Revolution, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many families faced food shortages. My grandfather was a child at that time. Food was very limited, and people had to be careful not to waste anything they had. In his family, rice was usually the only food available. Each meal was small, and everyone in the family shared the rice carefully so that it could last longer. Every grain of rice was precious.
Even though food was scarce, my grandfather still had to go to school every day. He woke up early in the morning and walked to school. Sometimes he felt hungry during lessons because he had only eaten a small bowl of rice. However, he continued to attend school because education was important.
After school, my grandfather did not rest. He helped his parents with their work. He sometimes helped in the fields and did other small tasks to support the family. Life was not easy during that time, but everyone in the family worked together to get through the difficult period.
The experience stayed with my grandfather for the rest of his life. Because he had lived through a time when there was not enough food, he always reminded his family not to waste food. He often tells us that we should not take our everyday comforts for granted, because there was once a time when even a simple bowl of rice was something people had to treasure.