The Killing of Sparrows in China: How Nature Took Revenge
In the late 1950s, China embarked on a massive social and environmental campaign known as the Four Pests Campaign, aimed at improving public health and agricultural productivity. This campaign, spearheaded by Mao Zedong during the Great Leap Forward, sought to eradicate four major pests: rats, flies, mosquitoes, and sparrows. While the campaign was driven by the belief that eliminating these pests would lead to higher crop yields and a better quality of life, it had disastrous consequences for the environment—particularly in the case of sparrows.
The extermination of sparrows, seen as enemies of agriculture, led to an ecological catastrophe that had profound and unintended effects on China’s agriculture and environment. This article will delve into the sparrow killing campaign, why it h...




















