The Return of Government Run Cooperatives Cafeterias, Is China Preparing for War and Famine

The supply and marketing cooperatives, which we will abbreviate as SMC, may be unfamiliar to young people today, but is very well known for Chinese people over the age of 40. Growing up in Chinas planned economy, the SMCs were the only channel for purchasing production and living materials in the rural areas, and everything had to be bought with a ticket. Founded in the 1950s and 1960s, SMCs were the darlings of the planned economy. They relied on centralized purchasing and marketing to buy and sell for hundreds of millions of people in China, creating a nationwide distribution network between urban and rural areas. Centralized purchasing refers to the planned purchase of food and materials by the government; and centralized marketing refers to the rationing policy through tickets. At the same time, the govtrun cafeteria is also making a highprofile comeback. The socalled govtrun cafeteria, canteen refers to the lowcost small and mediumsized cafeterias established