—Instruction on Social Surveys Notification of the General Political Department No. ^^ April 2, 1931 To All Political Departments of the Red Army and Local Governments at Every Level

We have now prescribed two survey forms: one for population and one for land.
The primary purpose of these forms is to ascertain the proportions of land and population among the various classes, thereby providing concrete, factual evidence to answer many of the questions before us.
In the past, in numerous localities, due regard was often not given to the investigation of actual conditions; instead, work plans were formulated solely on the basis of abstract speculation and used to direct the activities of lower-level cadres.
As a result, the plans proved unworkable, and the guidance was erroneous.
If we can now fill out these two forms with meticulous attention to accurate, fact-based statistics, they will enable us to resolve many of our problems, particularly the practical difficulties arising in the current land distribution.
It is earnestly hoped that the political departments of the Red Army will ensure that these surveys are carefully conducted everywhere, while local government organs should carry out the surveys village by village.
Moreover, every responsible official in both the Red Army and the government is urged to undertake such investigations and statistical compilations whenever and wherever possible.

But how can we ensure that the data collected through these surveys are genuine and accurate?
First, we must develop a profound understanding of this task.
Only by clearly recognizing its importance will we devote sufficient effort to it.
Second, those conducting the surveys must not shy away from thoroughly examining each village.
They should locate the registers recording the allocation of land to individual households, identify the land commissioners who oversaw the distribution in that particular village, and seek out individuals well acquainted with local conditions.
On this basis, they should first determine the class status (landlord, rich peasant, middle peasant, or poor peasant) of each family and of every mu of cultivated land, then perform precise calculations to arrive at the correct figures, which should be entered into the forms according to the actual numbers.
Third, comrades dispatched by higher-level governments to provide guidance, as well as responsible officials of the political departments, must explain in detail to the personnel carrying out the surveys both the contents of the two forms and the key points requiring careful attention during the fieldwork.
Special emphasis should be placed on clarifying the following distinctions: a rich peasant is defined as someone whose income derives substantially from exploitation; those who have made only minor repayments on loans or debts remain classified as middle peasants; those who, prior to the revolution, had already been renting and cultivating land as tenant farmers are still to be regarded as poor peasants; and only families whose members earn a living exclusively through independent labor—such as tailoring or carpentry—are to be designated as independent laborers.
Households that engage partly in farming and partly in handicrafts should be categorized, according to their economic position, as either poor peasants, middle peasants, or rich peasants.
Furthermore, the distinction between free professionals and vagrants lies in the fact that free professionals pursue legitimate occupations—for example, medicine or teaching—whereas vagrants have no fixed employment and exhibit erratic behavior, frequently engaging in harmful activities.
If these matters are not clearly understood during the course of the survey, the investigators themselves will lack confidence, inevitably leading to errors in the classification of class components and thereby undermining the validity of the statistical results.
These two forms—the land survey and the population survey—are closely related; they should therefore be completed concurrently.
Once either individually or collectively they have been properly filled out, they should be securely sealed and mailed directly to the General Political Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission.

Our slogan is: “He who does not conduct a survey has no right to speak.” “He who does not conduct a correct survey likewise has no right to speak.”

Mao Zedong Director of the General Political Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission April 1, 1931 Oo « Instruction on Social Surveys Notification of the General Political Department No. » April 2, 1931 He who does not conduct a survey has no right to speak; he who does not conduct a correct survey likewise has no right to speak. 257