Hey Dpaull. I agree with you. This type of first person narrative of oral history is a great way for students to relate to historical event. The stories about the villagers from Houhua exposed a lot of what was happening at that time in history. Personally, I remember more from this collection of stories than from some of the more factual readings.
I was aware of women binding their feet but I never realized that it was kind of a status thing. Poor families didn't bind their daughters feet because they would be unable to work. As a reader, you also see how the Communist party slowly started to assert itself to local population.
And having your students interview someone about thier own culture is also a great way for them to learn about their own families .