In 1969, Chinese borders were under threat from the Soviet army, forcing China to prepare for war and famine. For safety, many high-tech units were ordered to fan out across the country, including my grandparents’ unit. Thus, my mom’s family, facing many difficulties, moved to Hefei by train in 1971. My mom and aunt regarded their time in Hefei as the best memory of their childhood, among which watching movies was the happiest of all.
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Movies were shown once or twice per month, projected on a white cloth hung between 2 buildings. Movies usually start around 7 pm. Every child rushed to bring stools right after school to secure a spot for the movie and do their homework right on the stool. When there was no place left in front of the screen, mom’s family would go behind the screen to watch the projection backwards.

There weren’t many movies back then. People relished every second of screen time, including clips of national news played before the movie.

My mom didn’t like clips about the “old society” (the time before the CCP), because the children portrayed looked like the miserable children she saw around the research center. My mom and other children from the research center were terrified of them. Their clothes were so dirty that the colors were indistinguishable. They walked barefooted, even in the coldest snowy winter. Their hands and feet appeared black with bloody wounds underneath. My mom was so scared of them that she thought touching them would catch her a disease.

My mom enjoyed foreign movies the most. She was mesmerized to see plates of fruit on their table and dreamed of one day owning a plate of fruit herself.