(1) Letter to the Ministry of Agriculture 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 democratic governance. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the majority of peasants and workers to achieve victory. Previously, peasants in provinces such as Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, having accepted our Party's policies and resolutions, rose up in succession to support the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the warlords Wu and Sun and their ilk. Their aim was to overturn the governance of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural local bullies and evil gentry—that has persisted for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and thereby also to eradicate the economic foundation of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the efforts of the peasants, although the governance of the reactionary feudal forces of local bullies and evil gentry has not yet been completely overturned, its foundation has already been severely shaken. In order to maintain their rule, the local bullies and evil gentry have resorted unrestrainedly to brutal violence, slaughtering peasants, spreading rumors, and provoking conflicts to stage a counterattack. Thus, rural struggles have grown increasingly intense! The impoverished peasants, having just gained a modicum of freedom, lacked established government measures and protections. Left to fight alone, it was inevitable that their inexperienced actions could not be entirely avoided, leading to occasional incidents that harmed merchants' businesses, implicated the families of military officers, involved the equal redistribution of land, and prohibited or obstructed the grain trade. Moreover, the local bullies and evil gentry, stirring up trouble under false pretenses and fabricating false accusations, have further plunged the countryside into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wished to establish rural governance, they failed to do so as desired due to the lack of timely support from the Party and the government. Even in a few locales where a revolutionary order was established to the extent that lost items were returned and doors were not bolted at night, such order could not be preserved for long, let alone developed further. The fact that the peasant masses, having just begun to autonomously manage local affairs with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, face daily counterattacks from the evil gentry and corrupt officials—ranging from outright slaughter to minor disruption of order, a situation now widespread across villages and counties—makes this persistent state of anarchy an immense danger. The Central authorities, recognizing this, have repeatedly issued directives to remedy the situation. Your Ministry's Proclamation No. [blank] has further pointed out specific measures, stating that subordinate bodies will be urged to establish autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels within the shortest possible time, to build governance 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, hoping for its realization, like those in a great drought gazing at clouds and rainbows. For if autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels 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 and systematic guidance. Moreover, there will be no means to correct the peasants' inexperienced actions or the anarchic state of the countryside, and even the best resolutions would ultimately be impossible to implement. In order to eliminate the state of anarchy in the countryside, adapt the peasant movement to the new phase of the revolution, and establish the foundation of the Principle of Democracy, this Association, besides requesting the Central authorities and the National Government to promulgate village autonomy regulations at an early date, hereby duly submits this letter. Your Ministry, charged with agricultural administration, is earnestly requested to promptly draft village autonomy regulations based on our Party's policy of supporting the peasants and the Principle of Democracy, and submit them to the National Government for promulgation and implementation. This would be of public convenience.

Respectfully submitted to
Minister Tan of the Ministry of Agriculture, National Government.

Provisional Executive Committee of the All-China Peasant Association

(1) 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 democratic governance. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the majority of peasants and workers to achieve victory. Previously, peasants in provinces such as Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, having accepted our Party's policies and resolutions, rose up in succession to support the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the warlords Wu and Sun and their ilk. Their aim was to overturn the governance of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural local bullies and evil gentry—that has persisted for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and thereby also to eradicate the economic foundation of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the efforts of the peasants, although the governance of the reactionary feudal forces of local bullies and evil gentry has not yet been completely overturned, its foundation has already been severely shaken. In order to maintain their rule, the local bullies and evil gentry have resorted unrestrainedly to brutal violence, slaughtering peasants, spreading rumors, and provoking conflicts to stage a counterattack. Thus, rural struggles have grown increasingly intense! The impoverished peasants, having just gained a modicum of freedom, lacked established government measures and protections. Left to fight alone, it was inevitable that their inexperienced actions could not be entirely avoided, leading to occasional incidents that harmed merchants' businesses, implicated the families of military officers, involved the equal redistribution of land, and prohibited or obstructed the grain trade. Moreover, the local bullies and evil gentry, stirring up trouble under false pretenses and fabricating false accusations, have further plunged the countryside into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wished to establish rural governance, they failed to do so as desired due to the lack of timely support from the Party and the government. Even in a few locales where a revolutionary order was established to the extent that lost items were returned and doors were not bolted at night, such order could not be preserved for long, let alone developed further. The fact that the peasant masses, having just begun to autonomously manage local affairs with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, face daily counterattacks from the evil gentry and corrupt officials—ranging from outright slaughter to minor disruption of order, a situation now widespread across villages and counties—makes this persistent state of anarchy an immense danger. The Central authorities, recognizing this, have repeatedly issued directives to remedy the situation. The Ministry of Agriculture's Proclamation No. 1 has further pointed out specific measures, stating that subordinate bodies will be urged to establish autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels within the shortest possible time, to build governance 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, hoping for its realization, like those in a great drought gazing at clouds and rainbows. For if autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels 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 and systematic guidance. Moreover, there will be no means to correct the peasants' inexperienced actions or the anarchic state of the countryside, and even the best resolutions would ultimately be impossible to implement. In order to eliminate the state of anarchy in the countryside, adapt the peasant movement to the new phase of the revolution, and establish the foundation of the Principle of Democracy, this Association earnestly requests your esteemed Committee to order the National Government to promulgate village autonomy regulations at an early date, to satisfy the anxious hopes of the people nationwide.

Respectfully submitted to
The Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang)

Provisional Executive Committee of the All-China Peasant Association

(3) Petition to the National Government

The petition is hereby submitted regarding the following matter: The purpose of the National Revolution is to overthrow the rule of imperialism and feudal forces in order to establish democratic governance. Therefore, it must rely on the participation of the majority of peasants and workers to achieve victory. Previously, peasants in provinces such as Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei, having accepted our Party's policies and resolutions, rose up in succession to support the National Revolutionary Army, hastening the collapse of the warlords Wu and Sun and their ilk. Their aim was to overturn the governance of the reactionary feudal forces—the rural local bullies and evil gentry—that has persisted for thousands of years, to relieve their own suffering, and thereby also to eradicate the economic foundation of imperialist exploitation in the countryside and the political foundation of warlord rule. Thanks to the efforts of the peasants, although the governance of the reactionary feudal forces of local bullies and evil gentry has not yet been completely overturned, its foundation has already been severely shaken. In order to maintain their rule, the local bullies and evil gentry have resorted unrestrainedly to brutal violence, slaughtering peasants, spreading rumors, and provoking conflicts to stage a counterattack. Thus, rural struggles have grown increasingly intense! The impoverished peasants, having just gained a modicum of freedom, lacked established government measures and protections. Left to fight alone, it was inevitable that their inexperienced actions could not be entirely avoided, leading to occasional incidents that harmed merchants' businesses, implicated the families of military officers, involved the equal redistribution of land, and prohibited or obstructed the grain trade. Moreover, the local bullies and evil gentry, stirring up trouble under false pretenses and fabricating false accusations, have further plunged the countryside into a state of anarchy. Although the peasants wished to establish rural governance, they failed to do so as desired due to the lack of timely support from the Party and the government. Even in a few locales where a revolutionary order was established to the extent that lost items were returned and doors were not bolted at night, such order could not be preserved for long, let alone developed further. The fact that the peasant masses, having just begun to autonomously manage local affairs with absolutely no substantive protection from the government, face daily counterattacks from the evil gentry and corrupt officials—ranging from outright slaughter to minor disruption of order, a situation now widespread across villages and counties—makes this persistent state of anarchy an immense danger. The Central authorities, recognizing this, have repeatedly issued directives to remedy the situation. The Ministry of Agriculture's Proclamation No. [blank] has further pointed out specific measures, stating that subordinate bodies will be urged to establish autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels within the shortest possible time, to build governance 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, hoping for its realization, like those in a great drought gazing at clouds and rainbows. For if autonomous governments at the county, district, and township levels 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 and systematic guidance. Moreover, there will be no means to correct the peasants' inexperienced actions or the anarchic state of the countryside, and even the best resolutions would ultimately be impossible to implement. In order to eliminate the state of anarchy in the countryside, adapt the peasant movement to the new phase of the revolution, and establish the foundation of the Principle of Democracy, this Association earnestly requests your esteemed Government to promulgate village autonomy regulations at an early date, so that the peasants have guidelines to follow and can strive to establish autonomous governance at the county, district, and township levels, thereby satisfying the anxious hopes of the people nationwide. Whether this proposal is appropriate, we still request your instruction and guidance.

Respectfully submitted to
The National Government

Provisional Executive Committee of the All-China Peasant Association