The Origins of the Great Leap Forward

This is a study of the central China province of Henan, which emerged as a national model of the Great Leap Forward and was one of those most devastated by its failure. The author uses primary material to illuminate the development of provincial and local political life, as well as to gauge popular reactions to the dictates of the centre. The book offers an analysis of the setbacks in agriculture in 1956 and 1957, the rise of economic corruption, and the launch of the CCP rectification campaign in 1957.