Abstract:High indices,coupled with high pressure,drove officialsinto systematic forgery in the“Big Leap Forward”movement and the subsequentgreat famine from late 1950s to early 1960s.To assess officials by index-fulfillmentwas a practice that resulted in exaggerated reports and fake statistics.This paper tries to reveal the motives behind the massive forgery in officialdomin that period and explain why assessment by index-fulfillment often doesmore harm than good.