Abstract: The opinion that 30 million is the number of unnatural deaths during the Chinese Difficult Three Year Period( 1959-1961) is worth deliberating. It can be estimated，with the average death toll from 1955 to 1957 as the normal standard and the missing report of deaths from 1953 to 1964 plus the subsequently modification combined，that there were approximately four to five million people who ex- perienced unnatural deaths during the Difficult Three Year Period. The distributions of unnatural deaths apparently differ largely in regional structure，age structure as well as gender structure. Even though the millions of unnatural deaths is a lesson to reflect upon，still，the efforts the Chinese government made against the famine as well as the achievements they reached should not be obliterated. In addition， there were a series of complicated causes that led to the large number of unnatural deaths，and it is difficult to find out the proper answer only based upon the simple cause ＆effect relationship. Therefore， the discussion of this issue should be done by carrying out specific analyses in specific problems.

Keywords:  The Difficult Three Year Period, Famine, Death Rate, Unnatural Deaths, Death Under-reporting

摘要： 三年困难时期( 1959 ～1961 年) 我国非正常死亡 3000 万人是个值得商榷的观点，必 须进行全面系统的考量和原因分析。文章以 1955 ～1957 年平均死亡人口作为基准，结合 1953 ～1964 年死亡漏报及其纠正的状况，可以估算出三年困难时期非正常死亡人口约为 400 ～500 万人。非正常 死亡人口在分布上具有较为明显的地域结构、年龄结构以及性别结构上的差异。此外，造成大量非正 常死亡的原因非常复杂，难以从单一的因果关系中寻求答案。但种种迹象表明: 这批非正常死亡人口 是以饥饿死亡类型为主、其他死亡类型为次; 以抗灾能力不强引起为主、以地方救灾失误引起为次。 尽管非正常死亡几百万人的教训值得反思，但不能抹杀中国政府应对饥荒所做的努力及其取得的成 效，更不能借此上纲上线，意图否定新中国前30 年的发展。

关键词: 三年困难时期, 饥荒, 死亡率, 非正常死亡, 死亡漏报