In 1958 Mao inaugurated the Great Leap Forward,
“backyard factories”
Agriculture was neglected and the Chinese people were exhausted. These factors combined and bad weather caused the three successive crop failures in 1959, 1960 and 1961. The widespread famine and appeared even in fertile agricultural areas. At least 15 million and possibly as many as 55 million people died in one of the deadliest famines in human history..
The same mad eye vibe as the net-zero cult.
https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub6/item69.html