Central Committee's Transmittal of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee's Regulations on the Allocation of Private Plots, with Comments (May 11, 1959)

1. This document [1] is to be distributed to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions for reference.

Central Committee
May 11
(Published based on Mao Zedong's manuscript.)

2. Immediately deliver to Liu and Deng [2] for review. Shangkun [3] is to send it out by telegram.

·· Mao
May 11
(Published based on the manuscript.)

**Notes**
1. Private plots shall be used and managed by individual commune members, remaining unchanged for the long term, and shall be used for growing fodder crops and vegetables to meet the needs of household livestock raising and food consumption.
2. The standard for private plots shall follow the standard set by the Central Committee, i.e., based on the provisions of the original higher-level agricultural cooperative charter, calculated per capita, not exceeding 5 percent of the per capita land area.
3. In order to allocate private plots quickly and reasonably, it shall be announced that the original private plots remain under the management of the original owners.
4. Private plots shall be located around villages to facilitate management by commune members during their leisure time.
5. Where original private plots are currently under collective management, they may be returned after the harvest; or they may be reassigned to the original owners for management, with the costs of labor and materials repaid to the collective after the harvest.
6. Commune members shall first and foremost comply with the needs of collective production labor and must not allow the management of private plots to interfere with collective labor.

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the regulations issued by the Shandong Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China on May 8, 1959, concerning the implementation of the "Directive of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Allocation of Private Plots to Facilitate the Raising of Pigs, Chickens, Geese, and Ducks." This document states that, in accordance with the Central Committee's directive, the following regulations are hereby established regarding the allocation of private plots:

[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Premier of the State Council.
[3] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who was then Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.