COMMENTS BY YENAN OBSERVER

6 February 1942

[Text] HSIN-HUA NEWS AGENCY, Yenan, 6 February--How to solve the land issue
in China during the resistance war has been a momentous issue arousing the
concern of patriots and economists. The "Resolution on the Land Policy in
Resist-Japan Bases" passed by the Chinese Communist Central on 28 January
has given a satisfactory answer. The resolution starts out from three basic
principles: (1) The peasants are the basic strength in resisting Japan and
in production and must be given aid. (2) The majority of China's landlords
are anti-Japanese, and a part of the enlightened landlords also supports
democratic reform, and they should be rallied. (3) The rich peasants and the
petty and national bourgeoisie are relatively progressive strengths in China
today, and the rich peasant economy of a capitalist essence must be encouraged. Therefore, the resolution stresses the need for reduced rents and interest on the part of the landlords and their payment on the part of the
peasants. It further provides that the government must satisfy the reasonable demands of both the peasants and the landlords, guarantee the civil,
political, land, and property rights of both sides, and thoroughly realize
the famous "three-thirds system" in its political power components. The land
issue is the most fundamental and serious social problem in China today. The
Chinese Communist Party is the political party which has solved, and is still
in the process of solving, China's land issue. The resolution will be enforced
in the various resist-Japan bases in North and Central China now under its
control. Without doubt, it will have a tremendous influence in the political
life and public opinion of all areas in the nation. A Yenan observer points
out:

It is not only the policy of the Anti-Japanese National United Front advocated by the Chinese Communist Party and the embodiment of the new democracy in the economic aspect, but the first realization of Mr Sun Yat-sen's
land and peasant policies on this vast land. The major newspapers and periodicals in Chungking are publishing series of articles on the land issue.
The Ninth Central General Meeting of the Kuomintang in December last year
decided to form a land committee. The publication of the resolution by the
Chinese Communist Central at precisely this time will serve that committee
as an excellent reference. A point of special interest is that, in the

supplements to its resolution, the Chinese Communist Central provides for
rent reduction based on the principle of a 25 percent reduction from the
rental agreed upon before the beginning of the resistance war, and this is
no different from the 25 percent reduction advocated by the majority of the
Kuomintang. The reduction of 37.5 percent of the total grain harvest volume
promulgated by the National Government on 30 March 1930, to be enforced on
1 March 1936, and the regulations to protect tenant farmers promulgated by
its Internal Affairs Ministry in 1932 were both reiterations of the same
theme. Though such decrees were supported by the broad peasants, just people,
and many disciples of the three principles of democracy, it is regrettable
that, until after the start of the resistance war, the Chinese Communist
Party has been the only one to implement them firmly. The Chinese Communist
Central feels that, in order to rally all classes in the nation, launch a
strategic counteroffensive, and thoroughly defeat the Japanese bandits, in
addition to military and political reforms, only the adoption of a rational
land policy will win the support of the peasant masses and attain the goal.

。 "Resolution of the Chinese Communist Central on the Land Policy in
Resist-Japan Bases"