Family story: Dine at the Great Hall of the People, which I helped build

Character: Wang Xueli (82)

Family members: Fourteen in all, including Wang Xueli and his wife and the families of their four children. The family of the oldest son Wang Rongsheng, the family of the second son Wang Jiansheng, the family of the third son Wang Qunsheng and the family of the daughter Wang Yinlan.

A few years ago, three generations of the family  went to the Dabei Photo Studio near Qianmen to  take a family portrait. Only the son-in-law was  unable to make it due to work.

Profile: The old couple is now living in the residential compound of the No. 6 Construction Group in Shijingshan.

Wang Xueli is all smiles when he talks about his experience at a state banquet, “It was a different feeling with ten people sitting at a table and enjoying individual portions.” In September 1959, Wang Xueli, as the leader of the “Wang Xueli Youth Shock Brigade”, sat in high spirits in the banquet hall of the newly-constructed Great Hall of the People of which Wang was one of the builders.

A group photo of the “Wang Xueli Youth Shock  Brigade” taken in 1956.

The wedding photo: With a high income at that  time, Wang Xueli’s wedding ceremony was rather  extravagant and had some foreign influence. He  invited a groomsman and a bridesmaid and rented  the wedding outfits.