CHINA: Republic, AE 10 dollar token (14.59g), 1920, 34mm, issued for the Famine of 1920-21 in Northern China, $10 / TO SAVE / ONE / LIFE, NORTH CHINA 1920 FAMINE RELIEF // jiu yi ming (save one life), hua bei yi zhen (North China Relief), date below, denomination on the sides, VF to EF, RR, ex Arlie Slabaugh Collection. The Chinese famine of 1920–1921 affected the provinces of Zhili (Hebei), Shandong, Hunan, and Shanxi. The famine, caused by drought, was worsened by the lack of central authority in the power vacuum of the Warlord Era. An estimated 30 million people were directly affected, which resulted in half a million deaths. The response to the famine was widely praised for the level of cooperation between the opposing warlord cliques in the transfer of refugees between famine stricken areas and areas not affected by the famine. The participation of international famine relief organizations aided in lowering levels of starvation, significantly decreasing the mortality rate.
