Some Problems of China's Rural Communes

¹ Kiangsi Daily, Nan Ch'ang, 11 26, 1959, p. 3.

² The “five-togethers” were working together, eating together, living together, studying together and drilling together.

³ For a background to the formation of the communes, the changes that were introduced, the adverse effects they had on the peasantry, and the details of the 1958 resolution, see the author's article, “The Rural People's Communes of China,” International Studies, New Delhi, Vol. III, No. 1, 07 1961, pp. 45–64.

⁴ Ti-li hsüeh-pao, Vol. XXV, No. 1, 02 1959.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Article by I-tung, Liai, Ti-li chih-shih, No. 9, 1959, pp. 390–392.

⁷ The Communist Party issued directives in February 1959 as well as in August 1959 regarding “readjustments.”

⁸ Nan-fang Daily, 09 15, 1959.

⁹ People's Daily, 10 1, 1959.

¹⁰ Red Flag, No. 20, 1959, Peking Review, 12 1, 1959, p. 6

¹¹ People's Daily, 10 19, 1959.

¹² Kiangsi Daily, 08 20, 1959.

¹³ Ibid. Editorial, November 24, 1959.

¹⁴ People's Daily, 08 6, 1959.

¹⁵ Kiangsi Daily, 11 29, 1959, p. 3.

¹⁶ ibid. October 24, 1959, p. 2.

¹⁷ People's Daily, 10 1, 1959.

¹⁸ Ibid.Red Flag, No. 20, 1959.

¹⁹ Kiangsi Daily, Editorial, 11 24, 1959, p. 1.

²⁰ Mobilisation of the poor peasantry and concentration on development of poor brigades and teams to meet the challenge of the “rightists” was an insistent note in the Communist Party writings during this time.

²¹ Red Flag, No. 1, 1960; Peking Review, No. 1, 01 5, 1960, p. 9.

²² Press communiqué on the growth of China's economy, January 22, 1960, Peking Review, No. 4, 01 26, 1960, p. 10.

²³ Li Fu-chun, op. cit.

²⁴ See for instance, Chou En-lai's speech at an anniversary reception on September 30, 1962. Peking Review, No. 4, 10 5, 1962, p. 6.

²⁵ For a full text of the December 1958 Resolution see the pamphlet entitled Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1958, pp. 12–49.

²⁶ See, for instance, the example of Ever Green People's Commune lauded by the People's Daily, 08 14, 1959.

²⁷ Ibid.

²⁸ Ibid. June 16, 1960.

²⁹ Ibid. June 29, 1960.

³⁰ Ibid. October 21, 1960.

³¹ Ibid. July 3, 1960.

³² Ibid.Editorial, August 25, 1960.

³³ Lord Montgomery's article in The Sunday Times, Magazine Section, 10 15, 1961.

³⁴ How serious the crisis has been can be seen from the fact that the authorities have yet to release production figures for the last three years.

³⁵ See the resolution of the Ninth Plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, January 14–18, 1961. Peking Review, No. 4, 01 27, 1961, PP. 5–7.

³⁶ NCNA reported on December 29, 1960, that in that year one-half of the total arable land, or 900 million mow (60 million hectares) were affected and that the damage was heaviest on 20–27 million hectares).

³⁷ Chou En-lai in his speech on the 13th anniversary admitted that the agricultural difficulties were caused both by serious natural disasters and “shortcomings and mistakes in our work.” Peking Review, No. 40, 10 5, 1962, p. 6.

³⁸ Chung-kuo Ch'ing-nien, No. 8, 04 1961.

³⁹ Ibid.

⁴⁰ Red Flag, No. 3–4, 02 1, 1961, pp. 26–32.

⁴¹ Chung-kuo Ch'ing-nien, No. 8, 04 1961.

⁴² People's Duly, 09 1961, September 13, 1961 and March 22, 1962.

⁴³ Article by Shih-chi, Kung and Wu-chien, , Jen-min Jih-pao, 05 20, 1961, p. 7.

⁴⁴ See, for instance, an article on “Some Problems of Procurement of Agricultural Products.” People's Daily, 10 26, 1961, p. 7.

⁴⁵ People's Daily, 05 20, 1961, p. 7.

⁴⁶ Red Flag, Nos. 3–4, 02 1, 1961, pp. 26–32.

⁴⁷ Ibid.

⁴⁸ See the report of Tung-Ying brigade of Lu Pu commune in Kiangsu province. People's Daily, 05 20, 1961, p. 2.

⁴⁹ See, for instance, the report on the Min-Chi commune in Ma-Cheng hsieh, Hopei province, People's Daily, 06 30, 1961, p. 4.

⁵⁰ People's Daily, 07 26, 1961.

⁵¹ Chung-kuo Ch'ing-nien, No. 8, 04 1961.

⁵² Article by Rang, Liu, People's Daily, 08 4, 1961, p. 7.

⁵³ Ibid.

⁵⁴ Ibid. August 19, 1961, p. 5.

⁵⁵ Ta Rung Pao, 03 20, 1961.

⁵⁶ People's Daily, 04 25, 1962.

⁵⁷ Ibid. June 30, 1961, p. 4.

⁵⁸ ibid.

⁵⁹ For the régime's new approach towards private plots see article by Fang-yu, Yao in Ta Kong Pao, 06 12, 1961.

⁶⁰ According to an instance quoted in People's Daily in one production brigade the income from sideline occupations constituted 14·7 per cent, of the total per capita income of the brigades, People's Daily, 02 2, 1961.

⁶¹ See, for instance, People's Daily, 06 2, 1961, June 21, 1961, July 18, 1961, August 17, 1961, and March 9, 1962.

⁶² People's Daily, 08 16, 1961, p. 2.

⁶³ Ibid.

⁶⁴ People's Daily, 08 17, 1961, p. 3.

⁶⁵ Ibid. June 21, 1961, p. 2.

⁶⁶ Article by Ta-t'ang, Kuan, People's Daily, 03 9, 1962.

⁶⁷ Ibid.

⁶⁸ Red Flag, No. 5, 03 1, 1961.

⁶⁹ People's Daily, 08 23, 1961, p. 1.

⁷⁰ Ibid.

⁷¹ People's Daily, 07 15, 1961, p. 3.

⁷² Ibid. June 20, 1961, p. 2.

⁷³ Article by Hsun-ho, Liu, People'sDaffy, , 11 15, 1961, p. 5.

⁷⁴ People's Daily, 09 15, 1961, p. 2.

⁷⁵ People's Daily, Editorial, 01 18, 1962.

⁷⁶ Ibid. Editorial, November 23, 1961.

⁷⁷ Ibid.

⁷⁸ Ibid. Editorial, April 22, 1961, p. 7.

⁷⁹ Ibid. April 28, 1961, p. 4.

⁸⁰ People's Daily, 05 4, 1961, p. 4.

⁸¹ Ibid. April 28, 1961, p. 4.

⁸² Ibid. March 29, 1961, p. 4.

⁸³ Ibid. May 20, 1961, p. 2.

⁸⁴ Ibid. April 29, 1961, p. 7.

⁸⁵ Ibid. April 4, 1961, p. 7.

⁸⁶ Ibid. October 27, 1961, p. 7, Reproduction of the Editorial of Front Line, No. 20, 1961.

⁸⁷ People's Daily, 12 14, 1961.