Mao's War Against Nature? The Environmental Impact of the Grain-First Campaign in China

The China Journal, No. 50, pp. 37-59 (July, 2003)

24 Pages Posted: 31 Oct 2012

See all articles by Peter Ho

Peter Ho

Delft University of Technology

Date Written: 2003

Abstract

It is generally assumed that agricultural policies in Maoist China – in particular through mass movements – have led to grave ecological destruction. The movement believed to have had the most catastrophic outcome is the “Grain-first campaign”, which allegedly urged farmers to cultivate as much grain as possible. It is said that in the arid, pastoral areas indiscriminate reclamation led to desertification and a dramatic drop in livestock numbers. However, this article demonstrates that there is a fundamental lack of concordance between textual sources written during the collectivist period versus those of the post-collectivist period. A filtering process is apparent: misrepresentation of the Grain-first movement as lopsidedly geared to grain self-sufficiency instead of integrated development; denial of the concern for environmental protection of certain mass campaigns (e.g. Learn-from-Dazhai and Wushenzhao movements); and the juggling of statistics to support an inaccurate reading of the Maoist era. The article argues that the Grain-first movement has become a powerful tool in directing the “historical gaze” towards an overly negative appraisal of the Maoist period. In turn, this caused a misguided interpretation of the socio-political context in which mass campaigns evolved.

Suggested Citation

Ho, Peter, Mao's War Against Nature? The Environmental Impact of the Grain-First Campaign in China (2003). The China Journal, No. 50, pp. 37-59 (July, 2003), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2168690

Peter Ho (Contact Author)

Delft University of Technology ( email )

Jaffalaan 5
P.O. Box 5015
Delft, Zuid-Holland 2600 GA
Netherlands

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
244
Abstract Views
1,299
Rank
227,953
PlumX Metrics