List of famines in China
This is a list of famines in China. Between 108 BC and 1911 AD, there were no fewer than 1828 famines in China, or one nearly every year in one province or another. However, the famines varied greatly in severity.[1][2]
Famines in China
Name | Time | Region | Context | Estimated number of dead |
---|---|---|---|---|
875-884 | Peasant rebellion in China inspired by famine; Huang Chao captured capital | |||
1333-1337 [3] | Famine in China | |||
1630-1631 | Northwestern China | Eventually causing the Ming Dynasty to collapse in 1644 | ||
1810, 1811, 1846, 1849 | Nearly 45 million[4] | |||
1850-1873 | Taiping Rebellion, drought, and famine | over 60 million people [5] | ||
Great North China Famine | 1876-1879 | Northern China | Drought | 9.5-13 million[6] |
1896-1897 | Northern China | Leading in part to the Boxer Rebellion | ||
1907, 1911 | East-central China | |||
1920-1921 North China famine | 1920-1921 | Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, southern Zhili (Hebei) | 0.5 million[7] | |
Chinese famine of 1928–1930 | 1928-1930 | Northern China | Drought | 3 million |
1936 [8] | 5 million | |||
1942–1943 famine | 1942–1943 | Mainly Henan | Second Sino-Japanese War | 2-3 million |
Great Chinese Famine | 1958-62[9] | Entire country[10][11] | Main article: Great Leap Forward |
20-40 million[12] |
Famines in Ancient China
In China famines have been an ongoing problem for thousands of years. From the Shang and Tang dynasties (16th-11th century BC) until the founding of a unified China, chroniclers have regularly described recurring disasters. There have always been times and places where rains have failed, especially in the northwest of China, and this has led to famine.
It was the task of the Emperor of China to provide assistance, as necessary, to famine areas and transport foods from other areas and to distribute them. The reputation of an emperor depended on how he succeeded. National famines occurred even when the drought areas were too large, especially when simultaneously larger areas of flooded rivers were over their banks and thus additionally crop failures occurred, or when the central government did not have sufficient reserves. If an emperor could not prevent a famine, he lost prestige and legitimacy. It was said that he had lost the Mandate of Heaven.
See also
References
- ↑ "China: Land of Famine".
- ↑ "Heaven, Observe!". Time. February 6, 1928.
- ↑ "Projects and Events: 14th Century".
- ↑ "Fearfull Famines of the Past".
- ↑ "Ch'ing China: The Taiping Rebellion".
- ↑ Cormac Ó Gráda (March 16, 2009). Famine: A Short History. Princeton University Press.
- ↑ Li, Lillian M. (1982). "Introduction: Food, Famine, and the Chinese State". The Journal of Asian Studies 41 (4): 687–707. doi:10.2307/2055445.
- ↑ "Natural Disasters and Hazards - Historical Events Timeline".
- ↑ Dikötter, Frank. Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62. Walker & Company, 2010 pp.32, 67, xxiii. Becker, Jasper (1998). Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine. Holt Paperbacks p.xi. Yang, Jisheng (2008). Tombstone (Mu Bei - Zhong Guo Liu Shi Nian Dai Da Ji Huang Ji Shi). Cosmos Books (Tian Di Tu Shu), Hong Kong pp.12, 429.
- ↑ Yang (2008) pp.396, 411
- ↑ Peng Xizhe (1987). Demographic Consequences of the Great Leap Forward in China's Provinces. Population and Development Review Vol.13 No.4 (Dec. 1987) pp.646-648.
- ↑ Becker, Jasper (April 15, 1998). Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine. Holt Paperbacks.