[Пианино] Алеет восток [東方紅] — Корнелиус Кардью (1972г) | Китайское движение за земельную реформу

【Кто кого кормит?】

The land reform movement was a profound social revolution by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China to eradicate an exploitative feudal system, and was a fundamental step in the Chinese democratic revolution. Before the founding of the People’s Republic, the old liberated zones of North and Northeast China (comprising about one-third of the country) had had basic land reform completed.

The land system of the Chinese ancien régime was extremely unreasonable, and was a driving contributor to China’s poverty and backwardness. Landlords and funong (kulaks), who accounted for less than 10% of the total rural population, held 70~80% of cultivated rural land and cruelly exploited their tenants. Poor peasants, farm labourers and middle peasants, who accounted for over 90% of the rural population, occupied only 20%~30% of arable land. They toiled year-round but received little to no food and clothing. The landlord class not only carried out cruel economic exploitation, but also colluded with bureaucrats and government agents to humiliate and oppress the masses.

For example, Wang Hanzhang, landlord of Shuangta Village, once called his tenant Ma Yishan on a business trip. When Ma arrived a little late, Wang had his eyes maimed with a whip. Wang also had Gong Rongshi, a long-time barn worker, beaten to death without cause.

Additionally, several landlords formed associations under the strategy of “collective defence” in order to facilitate their control. As such, resolving the land issue by land redistribution became an urgent demand of the working people after the victory of the War of Resistance.

On 4 May 1946, the Party Central Committee issued the “Instructions on the Liquidation and Reduction of Rent and on Land Issues”. This turned WWII-era policies of rent reduction into a total abolition of feudalism under the policy of “farms for farmers”. The move won the support of the peasantry, who in turn participated in local militias, supported the front lines, helped to consolidate the Liberated Zones, and cooperated with the People’s Liberation Army in foiling the Kuomintang’s military offensive.

During the War of Liberation, land reforms were implemented on behalf of the 145 million peasants in the Liberated Zones. After the founding of the People’s Republic, land reforms were extended to new regions, benefiting another of 310 million peasants. As of September 1952, land reforms were implemented across the nation, with the exception of Taiwan and ethnic minority regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet.

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