Order No. 49 of the Council of People's
Commissars of the Central Government of
the Chinese Soviet Republic
(October 10, 1933)
I. The decisions of this council on October 10, 1933, concerning certain
issues in the agrarian struggle are hereby promulgated.
2. Any class status determined before October 10, 1933, in whatever locality
that is not in line with these decisions should immediately be changed in accordance with these decisions. As regards changes that should be made in the
disposal of land and property as a result of changes in class status, all land,
houses, mountain forests, ponds, orchards, and so on, belonging to middle peasants, poor peasants, poor people, workers, and others that were redistributed in
the past should somehow all be ~med to the original owners. But property
other than land, houses, mountain forests, ponds, and orchards should be returned to the original owners only insofar as this is possible (if there are still
landlord properties that can be confiscated in the local areas, and so on). All
land, houses, mountain forests, ponds, orchards, draft animals, farm tools, and so
on, that should go to rich peasants, as well as the property of capitalists, may be
returned to the original owners only within the limits of the possible.
3. Regarding sentences made by judicial organs of various localities before
October 10, 1933, that are not in accord with these decisions, where they have
already been carried out, the original sentences should remain unchanged; those
that have not been carried out or are in the process of being carried out should be
changed immediately in accordance with these decisions.
4. No one in any locality may demand changes in the class status determined
before or after October 10, 1933, or in the disposal of property based on the
determined class status, if these were in conformity with the present decisions
and contain no errors.
Chairman
Mao Zedong
Our source for this order is Mao Zedong ji, Vol. 4, pp. 41-42.
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