MISTAKES IN LAND STRUGGLE IN KIANGSI

14 November 1930

[Text] On 14 November 1930, the Kiangsi Provincial Committee met in Chi-an. After the reports of Comrades Ch'en Yi, Ch'en Cheng-jen, and Ma Ming, I spoke as the representative of past committee members, pointing out that the line continually followed within the Western and Southern Kiangsi Party after the "Second Plenary Conference" of cancelling land reform had been discussed in conference, and all acknowledged that a determined struggle must be carried out against this incorrect line. The following are a few important points which I recorded during the reports of Comrades Ch'en Yi, Ch'en Cheng-jen and Ma Ming, and only I can understand many of them.

Ju-lin District: Wash away loyal comrades, leaving the homogeneous AB group.

Red areas: Wealthy farmers control the economy.

Yung-hsin: Wealthy farmers control the food. The government's policy of suppressing wealthy farmers is correct.

District committee secretaries do not visit townships to inspect.

The views of the Central Committee and higher authority are not transmitted to lower levels.

"Kill all wealthy farmers and landlords."

"Must divide firmly."

Use the White Terror in discussing the policy of wealthy farmers cheating poor farmers, "White Symbol."

When the line is not clearly specified, the wealthy farmers will encircle and deceive, as was the case in the Fourth District Committee of Yung-hsin (Ma Ming is the secretary).

Distribution of the fields of the Eastern Route has not been completed at all.

In the Southern Route, distribution has only been completed in the Hsing-kuo and Kung counties.

Tseng is a superior man.

Eighty percent of the Jui-chin Party is landlords and wealthy farmers; over 80 excellent party members, over 30 landlords and wealthy farmers including the head of the counterrevolutionary guard unit. No fields have been dis- tributed in 2 months. The grain of the local tyrants remnants has been taken away.

The youth of the masses of the East Route are brave, the Youth Corps is cowardly.

Women have not struggled.

"Everything must be divided, this is the farmers' consciousness."

There [are] many wealthy farmers but few poor farmers in the tea hills. Failure to divide tea hills is to the benefit of the wealthy farmers.

Village peoples' schools are also benefits of the wealthy farmers, inasmuch as the children of poor farmers have to work, so few of them attend school.

Wealthy farmers order the masses to fight to protect the interests of the wealthy farmers. The officers of the Hsin-feng Red Guards are all wealthy farmers. "Seize names," "adjust fields," "fight butchers," "fines."

With the slogan of protecting Red areas, the wealthy farmers of the north- western townships of Hsin-feng incite Red troops to desert and return home. The wealthy farmers are an obstacle to the expansion of the Red Army.

The problem of preferential treatment for Red Army dependents. In Yung-hsin, preferential treatment was not afforded Red Army volunteers, and no assistance was provided in tilling their fields. The dependents of those dispatched by the government were treated preferentially.

Hsin-feng: Those members of local Red defense units killed or wounded in action were treated preferentially. Those killed or wounded in action in the 22d Army were ignored. The wealthy farmers played tricks.

Only wealthy farmers opposed freedom of marriage. Saying "The farmers oppose it" is a lack of differentiation.

At the Second Plenary Conference, eliminate farmers, cancel land reform.

Li Wen-lin went to the Southern Route on 24 August. He did not make a specialized report on land reform. There was no specialized discussion.

At the Southern Route Expanded Conference of 15 July, Ch'en Yi put forth eight principles such as immediate distribution of fields and harvesting of grain, taking from those with much to compensate those with little, taking the fertile to compensate for the infertile, unconditional distribution of housing, division of hills and woods, division of ponds, and so on, which were promulgated by the Southern Kiangsi Revolutionary Committee.

The wealthy farmers of Jui-chin and Yu-tu [7184 6757], citing Article 14 of the "Western and Southern Kiangsi Land Law"--the original tiller should be the owner--spoke loudly of not violating the land law, but their violation was counterrevolution, even to the extent of fighting. The Revolutionary Committee had to issue this official announcement.

There was some interaction between the two cooks at the Expanded Conference. "It's hereditary, so now he wants to be chairman too?"

Afraid that the communists "won't talk, just chop off heads."

"Even if you paid your rent in years past, this field can't be worked!"

Red Army wives and freedom of marriage.

"Will you serve in the Red Army? If you serve in the Red Army, I cannot marry you. If people report that you have been killed in the Red Army, must I still observe the festivals for you?" "Eight yuan for 80 catties of meat." "Yesterday I went to him, today I go to the chairman. That's freedom." "Reporting to the West River Combined Conference, Ch'en Chih-chung washed away the atmosphere of Ch'en Yi (After 9 days of meetings, Ch'en Yi had resolved a detailed land law. Arriving on the tenth day, Ch'en Chih-chung cancelled it.)"

"Confiscation of the land of the landlords and dividing it equally is only a temporary measure rather than an objective, nor will it develop a land law of proletarian consciousness."

Hsich Hsin-ch'ang transmitted the message in the Northern Route: "Using labor is the standard in the poor farmers' consciousness."

The body strength of poor farmers does not equal that of wealthy farmers (poor farmers have nothing to eat); nor are the sons of poor farmers strong.

Li Tsui-ts'ung said, "At the Second Plenary Conference no one had a grasp [of the subject], so the land question could not be discussed."

In the Western Route the message was transmitted by (Chou Kao-ch'ao): "To divide everything is the poor farmers' consciousness."

On 28 October an expanded conference was held at Hsin-feng by the Southern Route Mobil Commission, at which Kuo transmitted the message: "Take the fertile to compensate for the infertile, make thoroughly equal distribution." Yet after a day and a half of meetings, it had not been discussed, and there was no resolution.

"The two lines of Southern Kiangsi (as stated by Ch'en Yi):

"Yung-hsin is not the wealthy farmers' line. I oppose," said Ma.

"I don't agree with entering deeply into land reform," Tuan Liang-pi said to Ch'en Cheng-jen.

"To expand and deepen simultaneously is the total farmer consciousness.

"To fail to attack Chi-an, and to attack Kiu-kiang later, will irrevocably lose the high tide of the Chinese revolution," so reported the Special Committee to the Central Committee.

o Investigations of Farming Villages, Liberation Press, July 1947.