Forms of Energy in China Since the 1930s

Emily Shi interviews Mu Ying about energy transitions in China. Mu Ying discusses growing up in a wealthy family in Beijing and living in a home with a radiator, while many other families used coal for warmth. She reflects on regional differences in fuel and the shift toward solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy in many regions of China. Mu Ying describes her family relying on domestic servants for household work and recalls traveling with rickshaws and later bicycles. She also discusses the impact of the invasion of Japan in the late 1930s and early 1940s on fuel availability and the economy of the country. Mu Ying reflects on air pollution in China and the gradual implementation of environmental protection measures after the cultural revolution. She also discusses how women benefited from the transition from coal to natural gas, which allowed more time for leisure. She also describes visiting the United States as a scholar in the 1980s, comparing the two countries' use of energy.