**Request by the National Peasants’ Association for the Promulgation of a Rural Self-Government Ordinance**
(June 7, 1927)

**I. Letter to the Ministry of Agricultural Administration of the National Government**

Dear Sirs,

The purpose of the National Revolution is to overthrow the rule of imperialism and feudal forces in order to establish a democratic political authority. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the great majority of workers and peasants before victory can be secured. Previously, the peasants of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, embracing the policies and resolutions of our Party, rose up one after another to answer the call of the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the rebel forces of Wu [Peifu] and Sun [Chuanfang]. Their aim was to overthrow the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—that had held sway for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and, in so doing, to eradicate the economic base of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the peasants’ efforts, while the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—has not yet been completely overthrown, its foundation has already been greatly shaken. In order to preserve their rule, the rural bullies and evil gentry have not hesitated to abuse violence, slaughter peasants, spread rumors, and sow discord in an attempt to retaliate. As a result, rural struggles have become increasingly fierce. The poor peasants, having just gained a measure of freedom but lacking definite government measures and safeguards, have been left to fight in isolation. Thus, immature actions have been difficult to avoid entirely, occasionally giving rise to incidents that harm merchants’ businesses, implicate the families of military officers, redistribute land equally, and prohibit or obstruct the movement of rice and grain. In addition, rural bullies and evil gentry stir up trouble under false pretenses and fabricate charges to frame others, further throwing the villages into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wish to establish village political authority, they have not been able to achieve this because they have not yet received timely support from the Party and the government. Even in the few areas where a revolutionary order—where lost items are not taken and doors need not be shut at night—has been established, it cannot be preserved for long, let alone developed day by day. Now that the peasant masses have just begun to manage local affairs on their own initiative, with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, the evil gentry and corrupt elements counterattack day and night—resorting to slaughter on a large scale or destroying order on a small scale. This has now spread throughout every township and county, and the persistence of anarchic conditions truly presents an immense danger. The Central Authorities, noting this, have repeatedly issued directives in an attempt to remedy the situation. Your Ministry’s Proclamation No. 1 went further, pointing out concrete measures, stating that it would urge subordinate agencies to establish county, district, and township self-government organs in the shortest possible time, in order to establish political authority for the revolutionary people in general and protect the interests of the peasants. Peasants across the nation are craning their necks and standing on tiptoe, longing for its realization as one longs for clouds in a great drought. For if county, district, and township self-government organs are not established, there will be no means to suppress the reactionary feudal forces, no means to support the peasants’ struggles and provide them with organized, systematic direction. Moreover, there will be no way to correct the peasants’ immature actions and the anarchic state of the villages; even with sound resolutions, they would ultimately be impossible to implement. With a view to eliminating the state of rural anarchy, enabling the peasant movement to adapt to the new form of the revolution, and laying the foundation for the Principle of Democracy, our Association, in addition to requesting the Central Authorities and the National Government to promulgate a Rural Self-Government Ordinance at an early date, respectfully submits this letter. Your Ministry, being in charge of agricultural administration, is earnestly requested to promptly draft a Rural Self-Government Ordinance based on our Party’s policy of supporting the peasants and the Principle of Democracy, and submit it to the National Government for promulgation and implementation. This would truly serve the public interest. To this end, we write to Minister Tan of the Ministry of Agricultural Administration of the National Government.

The Provisional Executive Committee of the National Peasants’ Association.

**II. Letter to the Central Party Headquarters**

Dear Sirs,

The purpose of the National Revolution is to overthrow the rule of imperialism and feudal forces in order to establish a democratic political authority. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the great majority of workers and peasants before victory can be secured. Previously, the peasants of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, embracing the policies and resolutions of our Party, rose up one after another to answer the call of the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the rebel forces of Wu and Sun. Their aim was to overthrow the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—that had held sway for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and, in so doing, to eradicate the economic base of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the peasants’ efforts, while the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—has not yet been completely overthrown, its foundation has already been greatly shaken. In order to preserve their rule, the rural bullies and evil gentry have not hesitated to abuse violence, slaughter peasants, spread rumors, and sow discord in an attempt to retaliate. As a result, rural struggles have become increasingly fierce. The poor peasants, having just gained a measure of freedom but lacking definite government measures and safeguards, have been left to fight in isolation. Thus, immature actions have been difficult to avoid entirely, occasionally giving rise to incidents that harm merchants’ businesses, implicate the families of military officers, redistribute land equally, and prohibit or obstruct the movement of rice and grain. In addition, rural bullies and evil gentry stir up trouble under false pretenses and fabricate charges to frame others, further throwing the villages into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wish to establish village political authority, they have not been able to achieve this because they have not yet received timely support from the Party and the government. Even in the few areas where a revolutionary order—where lost items are not taken and doors need not be shut at night—has been established, it cannot be preserved for long, let alone developed day by day. Now that the peasant masses have just begun to manage local affairs on their own initiative, with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, the evil gentry and corrupt elements counterattack day and night—resorting to slaughter on a large scale or destroying order on a small scale. This has now spread throughout every township and county, and the persistence of anarchic conditions truly presents an immense danger. The Central Authorities, noting this, have repeatedly issued directives in an attempt to remedy the situation. The Ministry of Agricultural Administration’s Proclamation No. 1 went further, pointing out concrete measures, stating that it would urge subordinate agencies to establish county, district, and township self-government organs in the shortest possible time, in order to establish political authority for the revolutionary people in general and protect the interests of the peasants. Peasants across the nation are craning their necks and standing on tiptoe, longing for its realization as one longs for clouds in a great drought. For if county, district, and township self-government organs are not established, there will be no means to suppress the reactionary feudal forces, no means to support the peasants’ struggles and provide them with organized, systematic direction. Moreover, there will be no way to correct the peasants’ immature actions and the anarchic state of the villages; even with sound resolutions, they would ultimately be impossible to implement. With a view to eliminating the state of rural anarchy, enabling the peasant movement to adapt to the new form of the revolution, and laying the foundation for the Principle of Democracy, we respectfully beseech your esteemed Committee to instruct the National Government to promulgate a Rural Self-Government Ordinance at an early date, so as to satisfy the earnest appeals of the people across the country. To this end, we write to the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

The Provisional Executive Committee of the All-China National Peasants’ Association.

**III. Submission to the National Government**

We submit this petition as follows:

The purpose of the National Revolution is to overthrow the rule of imperialism and feudal forces in order to establish a democratic political authority. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the great majority of workers and peasants before victory can be secured. Previously, the peasants of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, embracing the policies and resolutions of our Party, rose up one after another to answer the call of the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the rebel forces of Wu and Sun. Their aim was to overthrow the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—that had held sway for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and, in so doing, to eradicate the economic base of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the peasants’ efforts, while the authority of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural bullies and evil gentry—has not yet been completely overthrown, its foundation has already been greatly shaken. In order to preserve their rule, the rural bullies and evil gentry have not hesitated to abuse violence, slaughter peasants, spread rumors, and sow discord in an attempt to retaliate. As a result, rural struggles have become increasingly fierce. The poor peasants, having just gained a measure of freedom but lacking definite government measures and safeguards, have been left to fight in isolation. Thus, immature actions have been difficult to avoid entirely, occasionally giving rise to incidents that harm merchants’ businesses, implicate the families of military officers, redistribute land equally, and prohibit or obstruct the movement of rice and grain. In addition, rural bullies and evil gentry stir up trouble under false pretenses and fabricate charges to frame others, further throwing the villages into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wish to establish village political authority, they have not been able to achieve this because they have not yet received timely support from the Party and the government. Even in the few areas where a revolutionary order—where lost items are not taken and doors need not be shut at night—has been established, it cannot be preserved for long, let alone developed day by day. Now that the peasant masses have just begun to manage local affairs on their own initiative, with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, the evil gentry and corrupt elements counterattack day and night—resorting to slaughter on a large scale or destroying order on a small scale. This has now spread throughout every township and county, and the persistence of anarchic conditions truly presents an immense danger. The Central Authorities, noting this, have repeatedly issued directives in an attempt to remedy the situation. The Ministry of Agricultural Administration’s Proclamation No. 1 went further, pointing out concrete measures, stating that it would urge subordinate agencies to establish county, district, and township self-government organs in the shortest possible time, in order to establish political authority for the revolutionary people in general and protect the interests of the peasants. Peasants across the nation are craning their necks and standing on tiptoe, longing for its realization as one longs for clouds in a great drought. For if county, district, and township self-government organs are not established, there will be no means to suppress the reactionary feudal forces, no means to support the peasants’ struggles and provide them with organized, systematic direction. Moreover, there will be no way to correct the peasants’ immature actions and the anarchic state of the villages; even with sound resolutions, they would ultimately be impossible to implement. With a view to eliminating the state of rural anarchy, enabling the peasant movement to adapt to the new situation of the revolution, and laying the foundation for the Principle of Democracy, we respectfully beseech your esteemed Government to promulgate a Rural Self-Government Ordinance at an early date, so that the peasants may have guidance to follow, and so that they may diligently establish county, district, and township self-government authorities, thereby satisfying the earnest hopes of the people across the nation. Whether this is appropriate, we await your instructions and guidance. Respectfully submitted to the National Government.

The Provisional Executive Committee of the All-China National Peasants’ Association.