Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

China's Economic Evolution: Insights from the Great Leap Forward

In course

HUM-324: China, Korea and Japan after World War II

Le cours examine l'évolution des pays d'Asie orientale durant la période de la Guerre froide: la victoire du parti communiste en Chine, la reconstruction et la seconde modernisation du Japon ainsi que les guerres de Corée et, si le temps le permet, du Viet ...

Description

This lecture discusses the evolution of the Chinese economy, particularly focusing on the period surrounding the Great Leap Forward. The instructor, an economist, shares insights from his experiences in China during 1958 and a recent visit. He emphasizes the challenges in obtaining accurate information about the current state of China due to limited access and the brief nature of visits. The instructor notes a significant change in the atmosphere compared to 1958, highlighting a shift towards moderation and prudence in various sectors, including government and rural discussions. A critical point addressed is the food crisis in China, where the instructor argues against the notion of widespread famine, acknowledging severe restrictions and localized shortages but refuting claims of mass starvation. This nuanced perspective provides a clearer understanding of the complexities within China's economic landscape during this transformative period.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Related concepts (29)

Famine

A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every inhabited continent in the world has experienced a period of famine throughout history. During the 19th and 20th century, Southeast and South Asia, as well as Eastern and Central Europe, suffered the greatest number of fatalities.

Economy

An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the production, use, and management of scarce resources. A given economy is a set of processes that involves its culture, values, education, technological evolution, history, social organization, political structure, legal systems, and natural resources as main factors.

China

China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's second-most populous country with a population exceeding 1.4 billion. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, tied with Russia as having the most of any country in the world. With an area of nearly , it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative regions.

Sociocultural evolution

Sociocultural evolution, sociocultural evolutionism or social evolution are theories of sociobiology and cultural evolution that describe how societies and culture change over time. Whereas sociocultural development traces processes that tend to increase the complexity of a society or culture, sociocultural evolution also considers process that can lead to decreases in complexity (degeneration) or that can produce variation or proliferation without any seemingly significant changes in complexity (cladogenesis).

Unilineal evolution

Unilineal evolution, also referred to as classical social evolution, is a 19th-century social theory about the evolution of societies and cultures. It was composed of many competing theories by various anthropologists and sociologists, who believed that Western culture is the contemporary pinnacle of social evolution. Different social status is aligned in a single line that moves from most primitive to most civilized. This theory is now generally considered obsolete in academic circles.

Related lectures (33)

Competitiveness of the 'Factory of the World'

Explores China's competitiveness as the 'Factory of the World' and recent developments in its economy and stock market.

Economy of China: 2020-2021

Explores the economy of China in 2020-2021, covering historical significance, technological advancements, and future projections.

Entrepreneurship in China: Debate, HUM-249 China's Economy

Delves into the entrepreneurship scene in China, analyzing the challenges and opportunities for starting a business in the country.

Economy of China: Course Introduction

Introduces the course 'Economy of China 2020-2021' and its content, format, and evaluation methods.

Economy of China: Challenges and Future