[The "elimination of the four pests" movement in Guangzhou from 1949 to 1959: focusing on the report of Nanfang Daily and Guangzhou Daily].

ABSTRACT

According to all the reports about "eliminating the four pests" in Nanfang Daily and Guangzhou Daily between 1949 and 1959, this paper reviews the formation and development of "eliminating four pests" movement in Guangzhou. The movement started from 1949, and its first stage ended in 1952. The focus of the movement was to improve the appearance and environment of Guangzhou. From 1952 to 1956, the Patriotic Public Health Campaign started, and reached its climax around 1958, yet the movement has moved from pragmatism to radicalism. In the 10 years of "eliminating the four pests" , the movement has greatly improved the public health in Guangzhou and played a positive role in improving the physical health of the people in Guangzhou. However, excessive activities such as wiping out sparrows have also caused serious ecological disasters and poor harvests.