Li Shutao, 90, Dashi Village.

Li has 20 grandchildren, most of them migrant workers. In his youth, Li traveled by rail on train car roofs from county to county, following the harvest season and working on farms. He traveled all the way to the neighboring province of Shaanxi, the farthest he has ever traveled. During the Great Leap Famine (1959-1961), Li urged his sons to leave the village and go and beg for food in Shaanxi. He told them to pretend to be mute in hopes that would make it easier for them to board trains for free.

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Li Shutao, 90, Dashi Village.

Li has 20 grandchildren, most of them migrant workers. In his youth, Li traveled by rail on train car roofs from county to county, following the harvest season and working on farms. He traveled all the way to the neighboring province of Shaanxi, the farthest he has ever traveled. During the Great Leap Famine (1959-1961), Li urged his sons to leave the village and go and beg for food in Shaanxi. He told them to pretend to be mute in hopes that would make it easier for them to board trains for free.