Unmasking China’s Great Leap Forward and Great Famine (1958-1962) ThroughShunkouliu(顺口溜)

Abstract

Satiric Shunkouliu (顺口溜), an oral folklore tradition among Chinese peasants known as “slippery jingles” or “doggerels,” express discontent and often contain disguised critiques of official propaganda. In this article, I call upon Shunkouliu to expose the reality behind the dogma during China’s Great Leap Forward and Great Famine (1958-1962). This departs from existing scholarship that has focused on written texts and interviews as primary data. Analyzing Shunkouliu demonstrates the collective efforts of Chinese peasants in speaking the truth. Through its satiric and disruptive qualities, Shunkouliu challenged official rhetoric by making erased realities visible and silenced voices audible. Recognizing Shunkouliu as legitimate data also challenges positivist criteria (representativeness and sample size) in assessing data credibility. I conclude this article by urging qualitative practitioners in the global South to explore forms of data beyond those traditionally examined within the parameters of qualitative research originating in the global North.