When they wrote their memoirs, the outsiders who visited the Communist capital at Yan’an in Shaanxi province came back, over and over again, to the subject of food. Mealtimes were at 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m., and consisted of millet porridge or dried millet as a staple. In winter, there were no eggs, as it was too cold for the chickens to lay.45 Food was rationed carefully and there was little variation, although mothers with children were given extra meat. The privilege system by which certain people in high standing with the party got better provisions meant that there could be
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