Commentary by the Southwest Bureau on the Experience of Organizing Land- Reform Work Teams to Go to the Countryside and Participate in the Land- Reform Campaign (October 17, 1951) To the Central-South Bureau, the South China Sub-Bureau, the East China Bureau, and the Northwest Bureau, with copy to the provincial, municipal, and district Party committees under their jurisdiction:  The following is the Southwest Bureau’s report on the experience of organizing land-reform work teams to go to the countryside and take part in the land-reform effort [1]. Please give it careful consideration and follow this example.  Mao Zedong October 17, 1951 Printed from the manuscript.  Notes [1] Refers to a telegram dated October 10, 1951, sent by the CPC Central Committee’s Southwest Bureau to the Party committees of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, with copy to the Central Committee. The telegram summarized the experience gained during the second phase of the land reform in the Southwest region in organizing land-reform work teams to work in the countryside, chiefly as follows:

1. When forming land-reform work teams, it is essential, without unduly disrupting other ongoing work, to mobilize the necessary core personnel to participate; special emphasis should be placed on resolutely and as fully as possible enlisting senior cadres, so that they do not miss a valuable opportunity for practical training.

2. With regard to the participation of democratic personages in the land reform, on the one hand they should be warmly welcomed and actively assisted, while on the other hand their shortcomings and mistakes should be subjected to sincere, frank, and appropriate criticism—treating them both as cadres to be utilized and as cadres to be educated.

3. After the land-reform work teams have gone to the countryside, they should be placed entirely under the leadership of the local leading organs at all levels and integrated with the local land-reform cadres to form working groups that are dispersed throughout the various villages; at the same time, however, they should maintain a certain degree of organizational connection with their original land-reform work team.

4. In order to systematically mobilize and organize cadres both within and outside the Party from various sectors to participate in or observe the land reform, a “Southwest Preparatory Committee for Participation in the Land-Reform Campaign” was established. Provinces and autonomous regions may likewise establish such committees if necessary.

5. Once the land-reform campaign has reached a certain stage or has been completed, efforts should be made to convene collective symposiums with the democratic personages to exchange experiences, or to seek individual opinions from those among them who are particularly responsible, and to listen to the views of the leading officials.

6. With respect to the living allowances and subsidies for cadres working in the countryside on land-reform assignments, with the exception of a small number of individuals who have been granted special treatment by the sending authorities, uniform standards should generally be applied; disparities should be avoided so as not to give rise to adverse effects.