Monday, February 12, 2018

You're Not Even a Person in 50's Communist China

Retired UCSF Pharmacology Professor and Philanthropist Nancy Ma was born in Shanghai during the 1940s. Her father worked as Asian General Manager for Colgate-Palmolive, a wonderful position...until the Communists took over in 1949.  He fled first to Hong Kong, a British territory back then. The rest of the family could not get exit visas. (See post one.)

To be from a wealthy background in the Communist China of the '50s was a miserable existence. 
"You’re not even a person," said Nancy. "You’re being treated—my family at that time was treated very badly.” 
For seven years Nancy and her family muddled through each miserable day. Then, finally, they got a break.
“There was a movement about Mao Tse Tung—one of those great leaps forward," said Nancy. "They let loose of the (exit) visas for two weeks. Just two weeks. I was able to get out.”

(To be continued. Next: Very Few Good Things to Say About Mao)

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