Do you know how terrible the famine was? Let me tell you a shocking story. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, China was hit by an unprecedented drought known as the Dingwu Famine. The scale and impact of this drought are the largest in history.
Imagine the land on the North China Plain cracked deep cracks, and the crops withered and no grass grows. Countless people died of starvation, and their bodies were piled up in mountains that it was too late to bury them. In Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, the disaster was particularly severe.
At that time, Shanxi's population was about 15 million, but more than 5 million people starved to death in the drought. What an alarming figure! In two years, there was almost no rain in the north, crops were lost, and even drinking water for people and animals became a problem. People began to panic, thinking that this was God's punishment.
In such a predicament, some people began to seek spiritual sustenance. A county magistrate in Shandong even masochisted himself, tying himself with iron chains and having his men whip him until he was covered in blood. He did this to beg for forgiveness from God, hoping that God would send down rain.
However, this approach has not brought about any changes. The sky was still blue, and there was not a trace of rain clouds. People began to despair, and they began to try all kinds of ways to save themselves.
At this critical moment, a missionary told them to believe that God can make it rain. As a result, many people have come to Christ and prayed daily in the hope that God will be moved. But even so, the rain did not come.
This drought has plunged people into untold suffering. Prices have skyrocketed, and the price of a bucket of wheat has risen from 300 wen to more than 3,600 wen, a full increase of more than ten times. People's survival has become more difficult.
That's the horror of famine. It can destroy the foundations of all life and civilization and plunge humanity into extreme predicament. We should cherish our current life and be grateful for the hard-won success of every meal. In those days, even the landlords and gentry could hardly afford the cost of food. Wealthy people have sold their property in exchange for some yellow-faced nests that they once disdained. And those who have no money can only lie quietly at home, reduce their activities as much as possible, and struggle to support themselves.
The once noble rosewood, rare antiques, and priceless calligraphy and paintings are not as valuable as a steamed bun at this moment. Because the victims fled their homes, the house became the least valuable thing. Many of the former wealthy families guarded the wide courtyards, but they also joined the ranks of the victims.
A foreign missionary saw a skeletal noblewoman lying in bed with her two dying children, waiting for death in a splendid mansion. Next to her was a coffin containing her husband, who had recently died of starvation.
The county chronicle of a certain county in Shanxi describes such a picture: thousands of miles of red land, starvation and wilderness, plague raging, and not a single grass grows. In such an environment, people have to be extremely resilient in order to survive. As the imperial court's help was delayed, the hungry people began to eat everything they could. First it was bark, weeds, then people. It is recorded that after the wife of a southerner living in Shanxi was starved to death, he buried her in the courtyard in grief, only to have her grave dug up by the hungry people the next day, leaving only her head.
There is also a story about a villager whose mother had just died and was stolen in a coffin at night. When he found out and went to look for it, he saw that his mother had been put into a pot to cook. In one town, more than 10,000 people starved to death. There was a man who specialized in stealing these corpses to eat, and by the time he was arrested, several people had already been eaten. When there were not enough corpses, the hungry people began to think about the living. The elderly and children became the targets of hunting. Many orphans who have lost their parents walk the streets and disappear forever without paying attention. Some merchants were rushing home when they heard a creaking sound coming from under the wheels, and when they got out of the car, they realized that they were the bones of dead people. Unidentified objects fluttering in the sky. They picked up a few and looked at them closely, and couldn't help but be terrified. These were the scraps of human flesh and hair that were eaten by the desperately hungry people. In this absurd age, humans have become ferocious, savage, and cruel in order to survive. It is a historical memory that is shocking and unforgettable. That scene, like a huge black monster, swept all over the world. It was a sea of hair, thick and thick, as if it were about to submerge the whole of northern China. This is not an illusion, but a real purgatory on earth.
What was once a village was bustling with people and bustling with activity, but now it is a place of dead silence. The famine is like an invisible killer, silently claiming countless lives. Those families that were once full of laughter and laughter are no longer there. Even with the help of disaster relief officials, it is difficult to undo this catastrophe of life.
Years later, when the disaster is mentioned, there are still lingering fears. They describe the horrors of the time, the people who were emaciated by hunger, the helpless eyes that struggled on the brink of death. They mentioned the relief officials who, despite their best efforts, were unable to cope with a disaster of this magnitude.
This famine is like an unforgettable lesson, allowing us to remember the significance of history. We must remember not only the glory of the past, but also the suffering of the past. Because only by remembering history can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. We must always be vigilant, cherish the present, and strive to create a better future.