Environmental disasters are common in the history of mankind, but not many can compare to the onw which began in 1958 in China. Mao Zedong, the leader of the People's Republic of China, decreed that all the sparrows in the country were to be killed. read more
In December 1955. Mao give an instruction in a document called Consultation for the Seventeen Regulations of Agriculture: Eliminating the four pests, that is, to kill rat, sparrow, fly and mosquito. read more
The Four Pests Campaign, also known as the Great Sparrow Campaign (Chinese: 打 麻 雀 运 动; pinyin: Dǎ Má què Yùn dòng) and the Kill a Sparrow Campaign (Chinese: 消灭麻雀运动; pinyin: Xiāo miè Má què Yùn dòng), was one of the first actions taken in the Great Leap Forward in China from 1958 to 1962. read more