In late February, a ceremony was held at the Communication University of China (CUC) in Beijing, to announce the university's plan of establishing an Oral History Research Center and Oral History Museum. Cui Yongyuan, anchor of CCTV's two talk show programs Shihua Shishuo (Tell the Truth), and Xiaocui Shuoshi (Discussion with Xiaocui) announced his intention to return to CUC, his alma mater, to devote his professional career into researching oral history. 

Cui himself  will be leading the research at the new center. After nearly a decade of documenting on camera the experiences of people in various sectors, Cui's academic shift into the field is not surprising.

"Cui's transition into this role is significant to the development of oral history," said Yang Xiangyin, vice president of China Society of Oral History Research under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. "More and more people are beginning to pay attention to the study of oral history," said Yang.

Developing field

Established as a specialized field in 1948 at Columbia University in the United States, oral history records information on individuals, families, important events and everyday life, as told from the source.  Whether through audiovisual or written methods,  its importance in recording stories and perspectives is immeasurable.

These interviews are conducted with people who have participated or observed important events in history and whose memories are crucial in documenting. "Although some foreign countries have been academically studying oral history more than half a decade ago, this field didn't garner much attention in China until recent years," said Yang.

In the 1950s,  Hu Shi, a famous modern Chinese scholar and philosopher, returned from America to lead the study of oral history in Taiwan. In the mainland, the study of oral history didn't begin until the 1980s. At that point, we realized the field's importance and began learning research methods from foreign peers, Yang told the Global Times.

Despite its inception in the early 1980s, development of oral history in China is still slow. "Most universities don't offer this subject as a major," said Yang. "As far as I know, apart from CUC where Cui Yongyuan is setting up the oral history center, only Fudan University in Shanghai and Wenzhou University in Zhejiang Province have specialized institutions in oral history." 

"Peking University and Tianjin University have courses about oral history, but it's not nearly enough, given the field's importance to China," he said. "Oral history can fill the void left by history books."

Shanghai story

Voices of the commoner are often lost in the bustle of the city. "If the only documented sources in Shanghai are government officials and celebrities, the city will lose what gives it character, voices of the real people," said Jin Guangyao, president of Oral History Research Center at Fudan University.

 "Shanghai is a city of immigrants. Their daily experiences, customs and ideas about the society are an indispensable part of the city's memory, but we have little documented about their lives," said Jin.

To explore the stories of Shanghai in the early 20th century, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and Fudan University conducted an oral history study in the 1990s.

Researchers visited thousands of households, asking people to speak openly on everything from career choices, hobbies to living situations. According to Jin, the research not only broadened the database of Shanghai's immigration history but also weaved together a comprehensive portfolio of  Shanghai people.

For example, the study showed that before the 1940s, Shanghai residents were persistent about learning  English. Many enrolled in night school and training classes, since mastering English brought more career opportunities.

"Shanghai is an aging society," said Jin. "The seniors in the city are an important demographic to learn from." He suggests that the Shanghai government work with academic researchers to collect memories from this aging group before time runs out.

Government's involvement 

Yang Xiangyin, also president of the Institute of Oral History at Wenzhou University, said his institute is working on an oral history project tracking the lives of Wenzhou natives who have immigrated to other countries.

This number amounts to about 600,000 people, according to Yang. In some European countries, there are 30,000 to 40,000 Wenzhou people living in one city. He hopes this research will provide a deeper understanding of Wenzhou's  immigration patterns.

While cities like Shanghai and Wenzhou are now the forerunners in oral history studies across the country, other cities are reluctant to follow. "Few institutions care for the study of oral history," said Yang.

In Yang's opinion, local governments should play a role facilitating the development of oral history. In the United States, after the 9/11, attacks, the federal government initiated over 20 projects to record the experiences of common people affected by the tragedy. But the Chinese government has yet to initiate such projects.

Yang notes that after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province, no government institutions conducted projects to  record the personal stories of local people affected. Only a program from CCTV featured comments from those affected by the earthquake.

Some local governments, though, have begun to see the importance of recording oral history.

"In the last five years, we have received more financial support from both the national and provincial government. But to develop this into a specialized field, we have a long way to go," Yang said.