Military Commission Directive on Production Work by Troops in the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region

(May 1941)

1. In the political mobilization for production work, the slogan of self-sufficiency must be linked with the tasks of resisting Japan and building the nation, and of constructing the economic foundation of the New Democracy. Production work must be carried out in accordance with the Party’s financial and economic policies, overcoming actions that violate economic policy and the self-interested departmentalism of caring only for one’s own unit while disregarding others. All regiments, organs, schools, and companies must be educated to put public interests before private ones.

2. Advocate self-sufficiency in kind, and immediately adopt the following methods to increase the output of essential goods:

A. All organs and units shall separate routine work from productive labor and implement a partial policy of combining military and civilian labor.

B. All organs and units shall, in the vicinity of their stations (the Rear Garrison Corps at Zhiluo Town, the 359th Brigade and directly subordinate units at Nanniwan and the vicinity of Yan’an), immediately intensify summer plowing, actively engage in agricultural production, plant more autumn vegetables, and raise more livestock, ensuring full-year self-sufficiency in all vegetables, oilseeds, and meat.

C. To reduce fodder prices and lower transport costs, all organs and units must immediately prepare for an early-autumn grass-cutting campaign, ensuring self-sufficiency in horse fodder and further achieving a surplus of fodder for sale. Each person shall cut 50 jin of dry grass, provided that no encroachment is made upon the people’s private grass.

D. To ensure the supply in kind of office paper, all organs and units must make good use of all

idle labor and immediately engage in harvesting malan grass, reed grass, and cattail grass, as well as collecting waste paper, rags, and hemp twine, and deliver them to the paper mills (directly subordinate units shall deliver them to the paper mill of the Economic Construction Department). Appropriate compensation in kind or cash shall be provided. The Economic Construction Department is hereby tasked with drafting specific measures to be announced separately.

E. Salt, ink, and ink paste shall all be supplied in kind by the Supply Department. The date of implementation shall be announced separately.

3. Strengthen production in the factories under the Logistics Department:

A. Each unit shall transfer soldiers to participate in the production and transport operations of the logistics supply and depot factories, in order to increase their production output and transport capacity.

B. Immediately register all types of technical personnel and report them to the Economic Construction Department; concealment and failure to report are strictly prohibited.

4. Earnestly implement trade policy:

A. All publicly operated commercial stores must join the Publicly Operated Commercial Stores Association and accept the leadership of the Trade Bureau.

B. Strictly prohibit all publicly operated commercial stores from engaging in speculation, manipulation, and profiteering on the black market.

C. Consolidate publicly operated commercial stores.

a. All publicly operated commercial stores under the military system must re-register with the Construction Department by the end of June.

b. Adopt cooperative and joint operations on a voluntary basis, reducing the number of retail units.

c. Commercial capital shall not exceed 30 percent; any capital exceeding this limit must be transferred to handicraft industry and agriculture.

d. For any publicly operated commercial stores willing to relocate and set up operations along the route to Bao’an and Dingbian, the Logistics Department shall provide transport facilities.

5. All organs and units must report the implementation status to this Commission at all times.

Military Commission: Mao, Zhu, Wang, Ye [1]

[1] Refers to Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Wang Jiaxiang, Ye Jianying.