Yiku sitian (Chinese: 忆苦思甜; pinyin: Yì kǔ sī tián), which literally translates to recalling (past) bitterness and reflecting on (present) sweetness, is a concept that took form as a political movement and social practice in China mainly during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.
[4] By the end of 1963, hundreds of bureau offices and thousands of work units in Shanghai had conducted yiku sitian campaigns.
[5] Basic necessities of life such as food and shelter, and simple concepts such as the improvement of an open sewer in a poor community found their way into these campaigns.
[6] Yiku sitian became a standard part of thought education in the country with the aim of engraining it and associated concepts into the worldview of the people; bitterness should not have to be eaten for a second time.
[12] Following the death of Mao Zedong and rise of Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese state no longer considered yiku sitian as a means to its ends, rather that the revolutionary emotions created were an obstacle to economic growth.