Two notable famines in China in the years 1906 and 1907 were the result of flooding in the Yangtze River basin which wiped out food supplies for approximately 10,000,000 citizens. It was not uncommon during these periods of intense stress for families to sell their children, especially daughters, as slaves since their status as chattel would give their "owners" an interest in keeping them alive. The image at left from a 1917 National Geographic article shows one of these unfortunate girls "for sale" although her incredibly gaunt figure could be that of either a boy or a girl.