In China, for example, one researcher says he has found descriptions of what sounds like the 1918 flu but coming even earlier than 1918. He suggests that the flu even started in southern China and was brought to Europe by Chinese laborers who dug the trenches during the war. But the records are so poor that his hypotheses are hard to nail down. The same is true for many tales of the flu's social impact. Of course, there's the theory that all influenzas have come from China.
Some scientists say that southern China is an ideal breeding place for the flu.
The Chinese farmers have a very effective system for growing rice that also appears to foster the growth of new strains of flu. When they plant rice, they let ducks loose in the fields. The ducks eat the weeds and leave the rice alone. When it is time to harvest the rice, the farmers move the ducks to the farms where they mingle with other animals, including pigs. Birds, including ducks, harbor flu strains that normally cannot infect people.