However, the data quoted was from StateStatistical Bureau, China Statistical Press, 1990. The death rate of 11.8, 11.5, and 17.5 were really high. 17.5 is much higher than Afghanistan in 2012. Ruling out major out break of pandemic, or war, death rate couldn't be that high without a nation wide disasters. It is fair to attributed the unusual jump of death rate was due to malnutrition, since there were no other reasonable explanation. Taking UN special rapporteur Jean Ziegler, in 2006, there were 62 million people died around the world due to all causes, and among them "more than 36 million died of hunger or diseases due to deficiencies in micronutrients"

It is fair to consider half of the mortality were hunger related in China also, since China was a third world country facing similar problems as the rest of them in Africa or other part of the world. So attributing the increasing death rate to the starvation is only sensible explanation.

Whether this number translate into 30 million died in China. I don't know, since I don't have all those data, more the resource to look into this. However, the question was if Liaoning experienced famine. The data shown the spike of death, if the death were not related to famine, what is the logical explanation?

If you question the number, please contact StateStatistical Bureau, China, the published the data.