LAND DISTRIBUTION IN WESTERN KIANGSI

12-15 November 1930

[Text]  These are delegates' reports made during the expanded conference of the western Kiangsi Mobile Commission held on 12 November 1930 and the expanded conference of the Provincial Mobile Commission held on 15 November.  I made brief notes during the conferences; and, although they are very sketchy, from them one can see a small part of the land struggle in south-western Kiangsi.

1.  Distribution of Fields

Ch'un-hua:  Townships are separated by as much as 10 li.  In one township, the good and the bad [fields] were grouped for even distribution.  The first distribution took place in December of last year (1929).  The second distribution took place in March of this year, taking the original tiller as the basic unit and taking from those with more to compensate those with less.  Now the third distribution is taking place, using the fertile [land] to compensate for the infertile.  Distribution is beginning, and will take over 10 days to complete.

Ju-fang:  In December of last year (1929), the fields of the bad gentry and landlords were distributed, but public fields and the fields of wealthy farmers had not yet been distributed.  In March of this year, all [fields] were confiscated and distributed in accordance with productive capacity.  In May, all [fields] were confiscated for the third time and distributed according to physical labor.  But it was not thoroughly equal in that some fertile land was taken from those with more fertile land while some infertile land was taken from those having more infertile land.  Equalization has not yet been accomplished by division into three classes, A, B and C.  The majority used the village as the basic unit.

Shui-tung:  The township was used as the basic unit for all three distributions.  During the first, in January of last year, land was taken from those with more to compensate those with less.  During the second, in June, fertile land was taken to compensate for the infertile, but it was still incomplete

and many persons were dissatisfied with it.  The third distribution is now in process.  Land committee members of the various townships were concentrated at district level and land commissions were organized for mutual assistance in distribution, and to carry out the taking of fertile land to compensate for the infertile.  When Chi-an was opened, over 1,000 people returned from the city and received land in the same manner as tillers.  On completion of this distribution, distribution will have been completed in 15 out of 17 townships.

Western District:  Two distributions have been made.  During the second one in August of this year, although distribution was made in three classes, upper, middle and lower, with the good and the bad [fields] distributed equally, it was actually not complete.  The township was the basic unit.  The township is too big, with the district fields being as much as 6 or 7 li away and unwanted by the farmers.

Recently the District Land Commission announced that the third distribution would be complete, taking fertile land to compensate for infertile land, and burning tax records and land titles, with five inspectors dispatched by the district to assist in the distribution.

Ju-fang:  The first [distribution] was in January of this year, with the good and the bad [fields] distributed equally.  It was incomplete--public fields remained.  In some cases the township was the basic unit, and in some cases the village was the basic unit.  The second was in May, when the masses took the defector leaders' fields and distributed them to the poor people (those receiving distributed land for the first time).  In the third (the current one), equal distribution was made to the upper, middle and lower classes.  Territory newly seized in the three or four townships in the Nan-yu-miao area has not been completely distributed.  Distribution is complete in Hsi-yi-t'ing, where the township was the basic unit.

An-fu:  Distribution has not yet been made in places where there have been no defectors--distribution was made first in places where there had been defections, with 10 days to complete distribution which was to be totally equal.  Distribution is half complete in seven districts, two-thirds complete in five districts, and has not yet been done in the remainder--turncoat places. Among the nine districts in the county, the First District is not turncoat at all, one-third of the Second District is not turncoat, half of the Third District is not turncoat, one-third of the Fourth District is not turncoat, three-fifths of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Districts is not turncoat, half the Eighth District is not turncoat, the Ninth District--the city--is completely turncoat, as is the 40-li area around the city.  The reason some areas are not turncoat is that they border on the Red areas of Yung-hsin, Lien-hua and Yuan-chou.  All non-turncoat places are "weak and small minority people" who have been oppressed by the large villages.  Distribution of fields has been completed in all such places, taking from those with much to compensate those with little, but not yet taking the fertile to compensate for the infertile land.

Tung-ku:  The township was the basic unit.  Land was distributed in July of last year (1929), taking fertile land to compensate for the infertile and equalizing by division into three classes: A, B and C.  The second distribution has not yet taken place.  Later, because those serving in the Red Army had returned their land to the government, such land in the various villages was given to the villages to till.  The masses of the people clamored, so the fields were evenly divided in July of last year under the slogan "Group for evenness."

Hsia-chiang:  In the first distribution which took place in January and February of this year, the fields of the local tyrants and evil gentry were divided.  Public fields were divided during the second distribution held in March.  Fields of wealthy farmers were divided in the third distribution held in April and May, completing the distribution by taking the fertile unit to compensate for the infertile [fields].  Taking the village as the basic unit, there were unwanted fields because there was much land and few people.  Two distributions have taken place in the newly developed areas.  The first distribution was carried out in haphazard fashion 2 weeks ago.  The second and current distribution must be completed in 5 days.  The good and the bad [fields] are being combined for even distribution.

Shui-han:  The first was made in March of this year, taking from those with much to compensate those with little.  For the second distribution carried out during August along the border of the White areas, land was taken from those with much to compensate those with little, but the fertile were not taken to compensate for the infertile.  In the remainder, fertile [land] fields, however, was made to responsible members of the party headquarters and the farmers were directed to help work such fields.

Ju-lin:  The first distribution took place in March of this year, taking from those with much to compensate those with little.  In May the entire district defected.  In June the reward units were overthrown, and the second distribution of fields took place, with the fertile taken to compensate for the infertile in several townships; but in the great majority of townships distribution was performed in name only.  This was because the AB group was in control there.  The township was the basic unit with the village being the basic unit only under special circumstances.

Yung-hsin:  In the Northwestern Special District, the old, young, and crippled who had no tilling capability received an additional half-share.  It was also so resolved at the first County Delegates' Plenary Conference, in addition, it was resolved to add to those receiving the additional half-share those "worker personnel" whose dependents did not have a tilling capability.  This was carried out in part of the Northwestern Special District, but was rejected by the Special Western Route Working Committee, because it stemmed from a charitable view, and was derided by some as the "Orphan and Widow Line."  In Yung-hsin, land distribution was performed twice throughout the county, the first after Lung-yuan county was opened, the second was carried out in September after being decided upon by the Western Route Working Committee in June.  Distribution has still not been completed

in one-fifth of the county; the entire First District (city), half of the Fourth District (Nan-hsiang), and the entire First Fifth District (Tung-hsiang).  The farmers of Yung-hsin wished to use production capacity as the standard for the distribution of fields, and this was accepted at the County Delegates Plenary Conference.

Chi-an:  County seat and Feng-shui fields have been distributed; [fields in] Chin-t'an have not.

"Distribute to people who can be seen."  "Group good with bad." "Distribution was poor at the outset."

The "Honan Fellows" are a difficult problem.  In the township of Ku-ts'un, each person received only 2 tan worth of land [production capacity].

Wan-an:  The village was the basic unit.  By the second distribution, the fertile were taken to compensate for the infertile.

Fen-yi:  Fields distributed with the village as the basic unit.  Division was by [amounts of] grain, not by field.  Over 2,000 houses were burned by the counterrevolutionaries, and for more than 20 li there were no old houses.

2.  The Barren [Fallow] Field Situation

Tung-ku:  Each person received a minimum of 16 tan li of grain (a tan is about 80 catties); many fields were uncultivated.  A large portion of the hills were fallow because it cost too much to harvest peaches, nor were the hills dug up.

Ch'un-hua:  Fields capable of producing 400 or 500 baskets lay fallow because (1) the March distribution occurred when farming was busy, the farmers had no family property, furniture or equipment, the land distributed was poor and distant, and (2) manpower was inadequate because of the elder sons serving in the Red Army and working outside (that is to say 2,700 or 2,800 persons).

Shui-tung:  Several li were fallow.  This was because Lin-shui at the Red-White border was frequently harassed by the reactionaries of Chi-an city.  Several hundred guards were required daily.  Three lines of guards were posted, and were frequently killed by the enemy at night.

Shui-nan:  Fields [capable of] [producing] several hundred tan of grain lie fallow because, when public fields are reserved, the farmers are unwilling to rent them for tilling.  "Having received distribution of fields [capable of] [producing] several tan of grain, I have enough to eat, and am unwilling to till public fields."

Ju-lin:  Fields of several thousand tan of grain lie fallow, with no one to harvest the ripe grain.  This is because the fields belonged to the

guards of the reactionary landlords and wealthy farmers, and when these people fled, the government did not distribute the fields to the farmers, so the farmers had no responsibility to till or harvest them (Ju-lin is a district near the city of Chi-an).

An-fu:  Fields of 6,000 tan of grain lie fallow in the Tao-p'u and Ch'ung-wen Districts, because reactionary farmers are afraid to return to their homes in view of revenge-ism for slaughter.  It was also because the distribution of fields was not thorough, having been on the basis of numbers only.  Both reasons stemmed from the mischief-making led by the wealthy farmers.  An-fu has much land and few people.  Most of the people from Hunan, Yung-hsin and Honan work fields in An-fu.  If you will only pay their travel to the government, they will give you their fields to work.  Why are there so few people?  It is because many die because of poor sanitation.

Hsin-yu:  Fields of several hundred tan of grain lie fallow in three Red districts because part of the people left to serve in the Red Army.  Some [fields] are also fallow near the Red-White border.

Fen-yi:  Fields of several tans of grain lie fallow.

Yung-hsin:  Generally speaking, no fields are fallow, with total fields of less than 100 tan of grain lying fallow.

Kung-nan:  Much land lies fallow in all Red-White border areas.

3.  The Problem of Distributing Land to Workers

The farmers of Yung-hsin opposed the sharing of land equally with the workers, but the Yung-hsin Delegates Plenary Conference did not accept this view.

In one district in T'ai-ho the wages of workers were reduced after the distribution of land to them, but the wages were later restored.

In Chi-an, workers who worked for less than a half-year received their distribution of land accordingly, whereas those who worked for more than half the year received a half-share of land.

4.  The Problem of Distributing Hills

The Yung-hsin Delegates Plenary Conference resolved that the township would be the basic unit in tea-producing hills, with equal distribution made according to population.

The Chi-an Delegates Plenary Conference (October 1930) resolved that bamboocovered and tree-covered hills would not be divided but would be controlled by the township soviet and used by the farmers.  Those needing bamboo or wood must get the government's permission to cut [bamboo or trees].  Reeds and grass may be freely cut and taken from hills.

Tea-oil hills in Yung-hsin, Hsia-chiang, Yen-fu, Ju-hsing, Tung-ku, T'ai-ho and the Western District have all been equally divided.  Ju-fang and Ch'un-hua have no hills producing tea and oil.  The hills of Wan-an have not been divided.

Fen-yi:  On 5 November of this year (1930), the Provincial Mobile Commission dispatched Liu Li-tung to participate in the County Mobile Commission, which passed by the County Worker-Farmers and Soldiers Plenary Conference.  The method was:  "Hills worth over 300 yuan will be turned over to the soviets.  Hills worth less than 300 yuan will be controlled by the original owners."  In May and June of this year (before the 4th Plenary Conference), however, because of the receiving orders from higher authority (the Fourth Expanded Conference of the Northern Route Mobile Commission), the township had already been taken as the basic unit in equal distribution of hills, although no meeting had been held in this county.  This decision was reversed in November, and the farmers were very dissatisfied.

There are seven types of hills: (1) lumber [producing], (2) miscellaneous food, (3) raw material, (4) bamboo and wood (large and small), (5) firewood (reed and grass hills and firewood hills), (6) mines and (7) barren hills.

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