Main Points of the Speeches by Mao Zedong
and Liu Shaoqi on Land Policy1
 (May 8, 1946)
The Central Committee’s directive on the land question has begun to be distributed by telegram to the various localities. During discussion and ratification of
this directive, statements by Chairman Mao and Comrade Liu Shaoqi raised several points of utmost importance that merit the attention of all comrades in the
Party. They are summarized for notification as follows:
	 1.	 At the Seventh Party Congress it was stated that “an appropriate way would
be sought to solve the land problem and to carry out the policy of land to the
tillers.” The Central Committee’s “May 4th” directive is just such a suitable
method, created by the masses and approved by the Central Committee. As
during the period of the Great Revolution, the peasants are stretching out
their hands and asking for land, so the Communist Party must have a firm
and clear attitude as to whether or not to approve it.
	 2.	 Politically this is extremely necessary. At present, the Guomindang has the
big cities, assistance from imperialism, and occupies areas with three-fourths
of the population, and the only way to change our disadvantaged situation
is by relying on the great strength of the broad masses of the people to fight
against the enemy. If the land problem is solved in the Liberated Areas with
a population of more than a hundred million, then the people in the Liberated
Areas will be able to sustain the struggle for a long time without feeling
exhausted.
	 3.	 This is a most fundamental problem and the key link to all our work. Cadres
throughout the entire Party must be made to recognize its importance.
	 4.	 In places where land has been evenly divided (that is, equal distribution)
because of actions by the broad masses, do not criticize the peasants’ egalitarianism. On the contrary, such actions on the part of the peasants to thoroughly eliminate the feudal forces should be approved. But it will not do to
carry out equal distribution without limits, without uniting the middle peasants, and without taking care of all kinds of people who should be taken care
1Our source for this text is Mao Zedong ji. Bujuan, Vol. 8, pp. 93–94, where it is reproduced from the collection Jiefang zhanzheng shiqi tudi gaige wenjian xuanji, published by
the Central Party School in 1981.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-137

of. In places where the masses have not proposed an even division, things
should be handled accordingly and not through equal distribution.
	 5.	 Do not fear the temporary vacillation of the liberal bourgeoisie and the centrist elements. Only when we resolutely carry out land reform so that the
peasants obtain land and when our strength has grown and consolidated will
we have enough power to strive to win them over and unite them. But the
liberal bourgeoisie and the centrists should be given correct and forceful
explanations, pointing out that reducing rents and allotting land to the tillers
is implementing the resolutions of the Political Consultative Conference and
that this is very different from that during the civil war period.
	 6.	 There must be a distinction in principle between policy regarding industry
and commerce and the labor movement on the one hand, and land policy and
the peasant movement on the other. Wages and other working conditions
must not be set too high; instead, there should be cooperation between labor
and capital, with the formulation of joint production plans (adequate raw
materials, a variety of low-cost and high-quality products, and broad markets) to work hard to develop production, so the economy will flourish to the
benefit of both labor and capital. Only in this way can we fight against foreign as well as domestic monopoly capital so that the development of industry and commerce in the Liberated Areas will be in an undefeated position.