Anhui Farmer's Cooperative: I Just Wanted to Say...

Today I stood here and thought of what we were 14 years ago. At that time there were unreasonable charges and mistaken arrests in each village. Villagers petitioned the government but were hurt instead…


That was why we founded a cooperative. We never forgot the history and clearly remembered those comrades who fought with us. They are: Tang Dianlin, Tang Wanwei, Liu Junyun, Tangjin Gang, Tang Dianhua, Tang Jinfu, Zhang Wenhua, Wang Xiuhua, Tan Zixia, Dang Yongju, Zhao Keling, Yang Ganli, Jia Hongying, Zhang Yong, Wang Silin, Wang Shaocheng, Wu Shibin, Ning Kesheng, Zhang Yubin, Chen Yuying, Wang Sihai,Xu Yulong, Liu Shiguang, Liu Jianchun, Yang Baochao, Liu Xiubang, Gao Shiyou, Liu Yuxi, Liu Yulian, Zhang Jinxi, Zhang Hengqin, and Zhang Xuesheng.


Many of them left from the cooperative for various reasons.


We will never forget their great effort and struggle for rights.


I remembered our best honored friend Liu Laoshi and how we shared our new career as the Senior Association and Women Art Team.


It was a great challenge to sing songs with smiles on our faces when we did not wipe tears from our faces.


Although there was no money, audio, or locations, we had passion, spirits of sacrifice, and communication at that time. That was enough for us.

Senior Association and Women Art Team have never stopped since they were founded 9 years ago. Let’s remember them. they are: Xing Caiying, Luo Guilan, Shen Wen Xin, Fan Guoqing, Deng Lanying, Ning Mingying, Zhao Jinxia, Fan Jinliang, Qi Yuzhen, Shen Zhihuan, Tang Zhiting,Yu Xiuying, Lian Wenxia, Hao Xiulan, Zhang Fengying, Tang Zhitian, Zhang Shichen, Liu Xiaoying, Guo Xinghua, Xing Huazhong, Qin Xifang, Zhao Jigui, Yang Sufen, Wang Siqun, Ning Guocai, Tang Ying, Wang Sijing, Liu Guilian, Wang Sifu, Wang Sipeng, Ning Guoxi, Wu Qiying, Wu Shibin, Ren Deng Jun, Zhang Junhe, Chen Yuhai, Chen Jinshan, Chen Jinyou, Chen Yulin, Wang Yugang, Chen Zhenting, Zhang Conglan, Wang Sizhen, Zhang Shiqin, Shi Yongqin, Shi Yonglin, Han Jinliang, Shi Yongjin, Shi Yongqing, Liu Jinrong, Wang Lanying, Wang Fumin, Wang Guizhen, Yang Ganchen, Zhang Huaixia, Liu Tilan, Tan Haoqing, Yan Huafang, Yan Huafen, Han Shaoqi, Chen Jinxi, Tan Zibin, Tan Mingxin, Yu Guiying, and Liu Shiqin.


We remember that they created noble dignity and sounds.


We remember when we struggled for half a year living by 2 RMB’s (~0.31 USD) expense of each person per day 4 years ago.


People who paid effort for the building should be remembered. They are:

Liu Shiqin, Shi Yongjin, Zhang Yong, Zhang Yubin, Ning Guocai, Wang Sijing, Wang Sifu, Zhao Guozhi, Tang Zhiting, Liu Jinquan, Wu Shibin, and Tang Dianhua.


We remember when we had meetings and studied all over communities for the Heifer Plan.


We remember when we collected money for Yang Zhen; we raised donations for Sichuan from 11 communities.


We remember supervisors of funds spent time developing our cooperative with us though all of them were very busy. They are: Tang Diancheng, Zhang Junhui, Qian Wensheng, Tang Dian Lin, Zhang Guojun, Liu Fufei, Wu Huaihai, Jia Ru jun, and Shen Yongjun.


We remember those organizations and friends who helped us: Liu Laoshi from Beijing, Zhang Hongjun of Price Bureau, Qiuhong from Hong Kong, Director Lv of the Ministry of Finance, Liang shu-ming's township built center, James Yen Rural Reconstruction Institute, Oxfam Hong Kong, China Zigen, and Beijing Transparent Fish.


We have not forgotten the building finance scandal, shame of the jerry-built project, bad behavior of damaging office facilities, and rumors.


We will remember these lessons forever, because they are precious treasures.


We will never forget fights, tears, laugh, struggles, the pain, and hardships that we went through.


The best monument is to create our happy life in our cooperative together no matter who we are and where we are from.


We ask Ms. Wang to lead us to sing the cooperative song. 

Original article written by Yang Yun Biao, translated by Shishi Ma, and edited by US interns Isabel Auyeung and Kevin Mo.