It's not that insane when you consider it not as monopoly in modern capitalist sense, but as kind of traditional regale or tax lease, which did happened in pre-PRC China all the time (and in feudalism elswhere too) - it wasn't somebody literally handling all the eggs, nor anything to do with egg production for the own needs of producers, but partial or entire tax from all the dedicated production and distribution (or maybe some form of relevant property tax in general) of the particular commodity being leased or given to person or family.
That said, eggs are rather unusual for a regale, and a China-wide monopoly for it was likely horrible exaggeration, but it could happen locally. What's more doubtful is that why it was liquidated only in the cultural revolution?
Most likely what that post really is about is just some local landlord starving peasants.
Right? And it's not like a manufactured good or a limited resource you can control either. They're eggs! All you need is a hen!
It's not that insane when you consider it not as monopoly in modern capitalist sense, but as kind of traditional regale or tax lease, which did happened in pre-PRC China all the time (and in feudalism elswhere too) - it wasn't somebody literally handling all the eggs, nor anything to do with egg production for the own needs of producers, but partial or entire tax from all the dedicated production and distribution (or maybe some form of relevant property tax in general) of the particular commodity being leased or given to person or family.
That said, eggs are rather unusual for a regale, and a China-wide monopoly for it was likely horrible exaggeration, but it could happen locally. What's more doubtful is that why it was liquidated only in the cultural revolution?
Most likely what that post really is about is just some local landlord starving peasants.