Hundred Flowers Campaign

The Hundred Flowers Campaign was a period of time in China in the 1950s when the Chinese government allowed people to say what they thought about the government. This was the first time in a very long time that people had been allowed to speak their minds. During this time people wrote poems, drew pictures, and had debates to express their opinions about the government. The Chinese government wanted to hear what the people had to say and tried to take their opinions into account. Unfortunately, many people said too much and it caused a bit of trouble, so the Chinese government stopped the campaign and many of the people who spoke their minds were punished.