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Mao's great famine
Posted on 5/24/25 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 5/24/25 at 4:02 pm
5
Posted on 5/24/25 at 4:38 pm to Auburn1968
General No’s Chicken
Posted on 5/24/25 at 4:44 pm to Auburn1968
They killed off all the sparrows. The Pols tried to hold out and save the sparrow population by refusing to kill the sparrows that sought refuge on the grounds of the Polish embassy. The chinese government rounded up a bunch of citizens, gave them drums and pots and pans, and ordered them to make an unholy racket 24/7 around the embassy. The remaining sparrows died of exhaustion, not being able to find peace or sleep.
Fast forward a couple of years later and the chinese crops are being overwhelmed and devoured by worms, caterpillars, and other agricultural pests to the point that their food supply was collapsing. Enter: Russia. china turned to Russia for help and sourced 200,000 or so sparrows for purchase. Those foreign birds were brought into china to restore balance.
I wonder what the bulk price on sparrows was at the time? Surely the chinese got a bulk discount.
Fast forward a couple of years later and the chinese crops are being overwhelmed and devoured by worms, caterpillars, and other agricultural pests to the point that their food supply was collapsing. Enter: Russia. china turned to Russia for help and sourced 200,000 or so sparrows for purchase. Those foreign birds were brought into china to restore balance.
I wonder what the bulk price on sparrows was at the time? Surely the chinese got a bulk discount.
This post was edited on 5/24/25 at 4:46 pm
Posted on 5/24/25 at 5:23 pm to LegendInMyMind
quote:
They killed off all the sparrows.
just curious - what was a thumbnail reason for killing sparrows?
no need for long discussions of nuances - I am too lazy to look.
Just a simple 'why?'
edit - simple = "because they ate too much grain"
This post was edited on 5/24/25 at 5:25 pm
Posted on 5/24/25 at 5:42 pm to ChineseBandit58
Mao sold China’s grain to Russia for machinery to build factories. When the Chinese people were hungry Mao told the people birds ate the grain and to cover for his lies told the people to kill all birds.
Mao didn’t really want the high starvation numbers but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to get some factories running. He was an evil man.
Mao didn’t really want the high starvation numbers but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to get some factories running. He was an evil man.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 5:43 pm to ChineseBandit58
In an attempt to safeguard grain crops and boost food output, the government identified sparrows as a perceived threat to the harvest.
This led to rapid increases in insect populations, who had fewer predators. By the end of the campaign against sparrows in April 1960, the proliferation of insects had caused significant crop damage.
Helped usher in the Great Famine.
This led to rapid increases in insect populations, who had fewer predators. By the end of the campaign against sparrows in April 1960, the proliferation of insects had caused significant crop damage.
Helped usher in the Great Famine.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 6:02 pm to Gaspergou202
The Chinese are stupid.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 6:05 pm to UptownJoeBrown
quote:
The Chinese are stupid.
Yes.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 6:14 pm to bird35
quote:
Mao sold China’s grain to Russia for machinery to build factories. When the Chinese people were hungry Mao told the people birds ate the grain and to cover for his lies told the people to kill all birds.
Mao didn’t really want the high starvation numbers but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to get some factories running. He was an evil man.
That became the cover, but the eradication (or extirpation) of the sparrow was a central part to the Great Leap Forward from very early on. It was part of The Four Evils Plan which intended to eliminate rats, flies, mosquitoes, and sparrows entirely from the country. They were only successful in extripating the sparrow, which was of no surprise to any environmental types at the time. It turns out that the sparrows did a very important job......pest management.
There are many lessons to be learned from this exercise in stupidity.
This post was edited on 5/24/25 at 6:15 pm
Posted on 5/24/25 at 6:35 pm to Auburn1968
Good ole environmental engineering.
They thought the Sparrows were eating the grain instead the Sparrows were eating the bugs that ate the grain. A checks and balance in nature.
They thought the Sparrows were eating the grain instead the Sparrows were eating the bugs that ate the grain. A checks and balance in nature.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 8:36 pm to leeman101
Next up...
Let's lace the atmosphere to block the sun!
I'm sure there will be no bad ramifications from that...
Let's lace the atmosphere to block the sun!
I'm sure there will be no bad ramifications from that...
Posted on 5/24/25 at 8:41 pm to thejudge
quote:
I'm sure there will be no bad ramifications from that...
Or lets plant Kudzu in the South, to stop erosion.
Good ole environmental engineering.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 8:46 pm to LegendInMyMind
quote:
or extirpation) of the sparrow
Sparrows don’t have roots.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 8:53 pm to leeman101
Too bad they weren’t AIM-7 Sparrows and blast the crap out of the commies.
Posted on 5/24/25 at 10:09 pm to Penrod
quote:
Sparrows don’t have roots.
quote:
Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions.[1][2]
Local extinctions mark a change in the ecology of an area. It has sometimes been followed by a replacement of the species taken from other locations, such as with wolf reintroduction.
Posted on 5/25/25 at 4:00 am to LegendInMyMind
Spent a summer in southwest China teaching english during college and met an elderly lady who lived through the famine. She had some insane stories.
Her village was 100 yrs behind in the early 200’s so I can only imagine what it was like back then.
Her village was 100 yrs behind in the early 200’s so I can only imagine what it was like back then.
This post was edited on 5/25/25 at 4:01 am
Posted on 5/25/25 at 5:53 am to LegendInMyMind
Did not know that definition of “extirpiration” 
Posted on 5/25/25 at 6:08 am to LegendInMyMind
quote:
quote:
The Chinese are stupid.
Yes.
And thus you glimpse into the future of America as we dumb down the general population. Now watch another video and eat your bugs.
Posted on 5/25/25 at 6:12 am to bird35
quote:
Mao didn’t really want the high starvation numbers but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to get some factories running. He was an evil man.
This is the form of government Democrats want in the US. Total control and obedience to do anything. Liberal Leftist Democrats are insane.
Posted on 5/25/25 at 6:13 am to beebefootballfan
quote:
Spent a summer in southwest China teaching english during college and met an elderly lady who lived through the famine. She had some insane stories.
My condolences on losing the election Timmy.
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