The Land Conference1 Should Adopt a Policy
of Dividing All Land Equally
(September 6, 1947)
To the Central Work Committee:
We received your telegram sent between 3:00 to 5:00 P.M [on the 5th].2 The
policy of dividing land equally has numerous benefits. The method is simple,
the masses are supportive, and the outside world will have a hard time finding
reason to object to this fair method. The vast majority of middle peasants will
benefit; a small number will have to divide up part of their land, but at the same
time they will be compensated with other benefits (political and general economic
benefits). The Land Conference should therefore adopt a policy of dividing all
land equally without regard to gender or age and excluding only a few major
reactionaries. All land, mountain forests, and irrigation works in the countryside
should be distributed equally in terms of quantity (take from the plentiful to supplement the meager) and quality (take from the fertile to nourish the barren). Flat
land should be divided at the township level, while hilly land should be divided
at the village level. Apart from the equal distribution of land, mountain forests,
and irrigation works, the surplus grain, livestock, farming implements, buildings,
and other assets of the landlord and the rich-peasant classes are also to be confiscated for appropriate distribution to those among the peasantry who lack such things. Landlords and rich peasants will receive no more and no less land and
property than the peasants. Large-scale forestry and irrigation projects that cannot be divided will be managed by the government. In addition, we agree that
the Land Conference should immediately pass the general outline of the Land
Law, which will serve as a suggestion to all governments in the Liberated Areas.
Meanwhile, we will draft an inner-Party resolution to be promulgated by the
Central Committee.3
Notes

Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 4, pp. 300–301, where it is
reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript.
3.  The Central Committee passed “The Resolution to Publicize the General Outline of
the Land Law” on October 10, 1947.

--- Notes

1.  This refers to the National Land Conference convened by the Work Committee of the
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in Xibaipo village, Jianping county
(incorporated into Pingshan county in 1958), Hebei Province, from July 17 to September 13, 1947. This conference sanctioned the policy of dividing land equally, drafted and
passed the general outline of the Land Law, and decided to consolidate Party organizations
in tandem with land reform.

2.  The telegram that Liu Shaoqi drafted on behalf of the Work Committee reported
that the Land Conference was coming to a close, and that there had been majority agreement on dividing the land equally, which would be easy to implement and bring benefits to
50–60 percent of the people in the Liberated Areas while leaving 20–30 percent unaffected
and was therefore likely to gain the support of the majority of peasants. The conference
therefore decided to approve an outline Land Law to serve as a suggestion to governments
in the Liberated Areas, while also passing an inner-Party resolution to summarize the land
reform experience and suggest methods for implementing policies. The telegram requested
approval from the Central Committee.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-34

The Central Committee
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