Great Chinese Famine

E279377

The Great Chinese Famine was a catastrophic mass starvation in China from 1959 to 1961 that caused tens of millions of deaths and is widely regarded as one of the deadliest famines in human history.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Great Chinese Famine canonical 4
Chinese Famine of 1959–1961 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf famine ⓘ
historical event ⓘ
man-made disaster ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Three Years of Difficulty ⓘ
Three Years of Great Famine ⓘ
Three Years of Natural Disasters ⓘ
cause collectivization of agriculture in China ⓘ
disruption of traditional farming practices ⓘ
excessive grain procurement quotas ⓘ
misreporting of grain production ⓘ
policies of the Great Leap Forward ⓘ
policy failures of the Chinese Communist Party ⓘ
political pressure to meet production targets ⓘ
suppression of dissent and criticism ⓘ
contributingFactor adverse weather conditions in some regions ⓘ
locust infestations in some areas ⓘ
poor transportation and distribution systems ⓘ
country China ⓘ
deathTollRanking one of the deadliest famines in human history ⓘ
one of the largest non-wartime mass deaths in history ⓘ
effect cases of cannibalism in some areas ⓘ
erosion of trust in local authorities ⓘ
increased child mortality ⓘ
long-term health impacts on survivors ⓘ
malnutrition ⓘ
population decline in affected regions ⓘ
social disintegration in rural communities ⓘ
widespread starvation ⓘ
endTime 1961 ⓘ
estimatedDeaths between 15 and 45 million people ⓘ
tens of millions ⓘ
followedBy policy readjustments in early 1960s China ⓘ
retreat from some Great Leap Forward policies ⓘ
headOfStateDuringEvent Mao Zedong ⓘ
historicalAssessment subject of significant scholarly debate on causes and death toll ⓘ
widely regarded as largely man-made ⓘ
location People's Republic of China ⓘ
linked to: China

rural China ⓘ
mainVictims Chinese peasants ⓘ
memorialization commemorated in some local Chinese museums and memorials ⓘ
partOf Great Leap Forward ⓘ
Maoist era in China ⓘ
politicalContext Chinese Communist Party rule ⓘ
linked to: Chinese politics

Maoist economic and social policies ⓘ
responsibleGovernment People's Republic of China ⓘ
linked to: China
startTime 1959 ⓘ
timePeriod 1959–1961 ⓘ
topicOf numerous historical and demographic studies ⓘ
survivor memoirs and oral histories ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Great Leap Forward policies → consequence → Great Chinese Famine ⓘ
People’s Commune movement → contributedTo → Great Chinese Famine ⓘ
Three Years of Great Famine → alsoKnownAs → Chinese Famine of 1959–1961 ⓘ
linked to: Great Chinese Famine
Three Years of Great Famine → alsoKnownAs → Great Chinese Famine ⓘ