Decription of the famine (in China) in the late 50's: humans slaughtered and cooked

[abcdefg]

first few paragraphs translated by me (the whole article is extremely long and the rest is OP/Ed, not description)
Great leap forward started 1958 and this is the description of what life was like in that era

Hunger, the hunger which one can never see the end, twist humans’ mind into a dread mess. the atmophere of (name removed by moderator)ending disaster also covered a rural cottage.
Every method that one dared to think of had been tried. All that could be eaten together with all that couldn’t be eaten had been taken, chewed and swallowed. Barks of Siberian elms and Poplar trees had been eaten up. Barks of Willow trees, which tasted more bitter than Chinese goldthread rhizome, had to be stripped, roasted, grinded into powder and swallowed. what was remained? coat of wheat(I can’t properly translate this one) burned to ashes, mixed with water could also solve the problem. Cotton inside clothes was also torn out and eaten. finally raincoats made of vegetable fibre was also eaten. Humans swelled out of human shape.

The dread of death were looming inside hungry bodies. Inside this cottage, only the father and his two children were left. Father lay on the bed motionless trying to extend his life as much as possible. Children’s endurances weren’t necessarily better than adults. but what could be eaten, no matter how little, had been saved for them. Only they could move around now. The daughter seemed to have more life than the son.

Finally, the father who closed both eyes and lay on the bed all day without a word finally got up from bed. he put some water in the pot. started the fire in the stove. The daughter was driven out. before she left the house, she saw her younger brother lying on bed. when she returned, her brother was missing. there were something like oil floating in the pot. She was so scared that she stayed in the yard day and night, fearing re-entering the house. she saw a pile of white bones beside the stove. she didn’t understand what was going on, she was just too scared.

After a few days, the father got up from bed again. this time he almost crawled to the stove. put some water in the pot then started the fire. he waived to his daughter, using a voice the daughter had never heard in her life, said with constant breaks “Come, come”
Daughter trembled in fear, hid outside the house and cried loudly. but her father was still calling her. “Father, don’t eat me” she cried, “I can cut the grass, take care of the stove for you. if you eat me, no one can help you…”

This is just one of the scary real life story I’ve been told. It did happen in TongWei areas in China.

cn.news.yahoo.com/051021/1307/2fnen_1.html

 

[abcdefg]

automatic translation by google

Hungry, forever also does not look the terminus hunger, all stirs all normal heads gloomily, in a complete mess. The disaster is imminent the atmosphere covers this small village also covers this household peasant family. Dares the means which thinks has all wanted to want certainly. May eat the thing which as well as cannot eat completely has also gnawed, chewed, swallowed. The siberian elm bark, the poplar bark stripped naked. Willow tree bark painstakingly compared to Chinese goldthread rhizome, also exhaustedly got down 烤干 grinds to the powder swallows. What also has? 荞麦皮 fires the fire the ash, with drinks in the water also is effective, also dug up including the cotton fiber eats. Finally ate 荞 the clothes, the person swells the inadequate human appearance… The death feeling inflates in the hungry body. This household peasant family is only left over the father and two babies. The father 一动不动 snuggles up to on the kang, barely manages to maintain a feeble existence. The babies tolerance not necessarily is certainly stronger than the adult, but last may eat the thing is the completely babies eats. Now, only has them also can move. Female baby compared to male baby as if more than 1 physical strength. Finally, all day all day died shuts the father which both eyes did not speak again this one day crookedly supports the body from the kang. He gives in the pot adds the water, also selected the fire in the stove chest cavity. The female baby was caught up with. Just before leaving she sees the younger brother to lie down on the bed. Waits for her to come back, the younger brother does not disappear. In the pot is one white and shiny greasy thing. She frightened badly, all day stayed in the courtyard does not dare the room. She saw, side the stove threw one in vain bone. She does not understand how this is the matter. She only was fears. Separated on several, the father crookedly supports the body again from the kang. This one chapter of he nearly is crawls adds the water for the pot in, also selected the fire in the stove chest cavity. Then, he move of hand, has not ever heard the sound with the female baby, off and on calls: " Comes, to come." The female baby frightens the whole body loudly trembles, hides cries outside the gate. The father also is calling her. The female baby cries to say: " Greatly, do not eat me, I hugs the grass to you, lights a fire. Ate my nobody works to you… " This only is in many shocking real pieces one which I hears. But this, then was 1958 to 1962 in the Tongwei this China greatly above one kind of real existence.