before liberation he subsisted on wild potatoes.
解放前他靠吃野薯度日。
Many people died during famines every year before liberation.
解放前每年有许多人在饥荒中死亡。
before liberation, China's highest annual output of steel was only just over 900,000 tons.
解放前全国钢年产量最高才90多万吨。