[Shortage of Chinese medicine of the 1950s and the 20-year " Xiao qiu shou (minor autumn harvest)"].

To encourage the collection and improve of purchase are the important measures to solve the shortage of Chinese medicine. In 1958, due to the large amount of rural manpower invested in the campaign of construction of water conservancy projects and the large-scale steel-making and iron-smelting, the planting of traditional Chinese medicine was thus reduced, resulting in a shortage of medicinal herbs. To alleviate the serious shortage of traditional Chinese herbals and severe situation, the State Council issued an instruction, urging to utilize and collect wild plants, raw materials in 1958, followed by another order, advocating to carry out the " Xiao qiu shou (minor autumn harvest)" the next year, including the harvesting of wild crude medicinal herbs. In the 20 years since then, the minor autumn harvest had been widely carrying out in the harvesting of wild medicinal herbs, which became the main way to solve the shortage of Chinese medicinal materials, and had played an important role in alleviating the tough supply of medicinal herbs.