History Context of China’s Modern History

History is vital in the development of a country. China is one of the countries with a rich account of historical events. These include the Chinese Civil War, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and Great Famine. I am fascinated by China’s Great Famine––largest ever recorded famine in human history––that transpired between 1959 and 1961. The famine had caused the death of about 30 million Chinese citizens due to extreme starvation. Encyclopedia of Population describes the famine as â€Å"massive institutional and policy changes which accompanied the Great Leap Forward were the key factors in the famine. † Mao Zedong, a distinguished Chinese leader, had this wild dream to make China’s economy soar quickly. He planned to surpass Britain’s achievement on iron and steel production. So he ordered millions of peasants to join the iron and steel production workforce instead of working in their fields. My grandfather, who had experienced that period said, â€Å"I was ordered to mine local deposits of iron ore and limestone while my brother was ordered to smelt metal instead of farming. † My grandfather said that people then were eating tree peels and roots. Those efforts toward industrialization resulted to decreased agricultural activities that eventually triggered the spread of famine.