Month: October 2023

My Friends, since I have last written a great many calamities have befallen our nation. The promise of collectivization which promised so much has been struck with a run of such poor luck as has not been seen in this country since the era following the collapse of the Qing. These are evil days. A few years ago, the Party, headed by Chairman Mao, began pushing for the rapid and total collectivization of the Agricultural sector and for the revolution of techniques vital to raising the output of our farms and our industry. I am no longer of an age where I can easily go out into the countryside to see for myself the progress being made in these endeavors, but I have asked my son to go in my stead; the things he has told me I do not find heartening. I must preface my following statements by saying that I know that collectivization is successful in other parts of the country, I have seen for myself the success of the new methods and measures. I have seen the trucks bring grain in from the country, place it into the large silos before moving it to trains bound for the Soviet Union or beyond. My son, however, has told me that the villages he has visited are racked with famine and drought or else flooding, and everywhere the stench of starvation and disease. He told me of an Incident where he happened upon a pack of creatures, he at first believed to be wild dogs scrounging in the ditch on the side of the road, upon further investigation he found them to be children, collecting the grasses and wildflowers they could. When he spoke to them, they told him they came from an orphanage in the nearby village and that they had snuck out to find something to supplement the small grain ration they were allotted. In another village, he encountered a family which was so desperate that when he shared a loaf of bread, he had been carrying for the road they attempted to offer him one of their children in compensation. The family had been on the road for some weeks following the total collapse of their harvest, trying to reach the place where the trucks had taken their food but were now too weak to continue. I am an old man. I remember such times when people placed great stock in the Mandate of Heaven. That certain regions of this country have failed so drastically in meeting the projections and promises of the collectivization that has seemed so successful across the board, perhaps there is some truth to the old superstitions.  Perhaps those local leaders that have clearly so poorly implemented the practices and policies of the Party have brought down the wrath of the heavens on the regions under their control. If this country is ever going to have the universal growth in wealth that has been shown to be possible, then we must ensure that the lowest levels of the government are loyal to the revolution and to the will of the people. We must apply more pressure on them to better emulate the Chairman and his confidants in being a guiding light, a beacon around which the people can rally rather than stealing grain and terrorizing the people.

 

Comrades, I expect we shall hear in the future of atrocities being committed by the cadres in the countryside which have lost sight of the revolution, but we must not allow these naysayers and traitors to the revolution dissuade us from our ultimate goals. Be well, I shall write more when I have the time.

Dear Tongzhimen, 

Once again, my correspondence is infrequent, but take it as a sign of the prosperity of the People’s Republic of China and the Party! The last you heard from me, I moved back to my beloved city of Beijing, where I started writing all those years ago. It is almost unbelievable to imagine the immense change our great nation has gone through in the past thirty years. Of course, anyone can see that the last three years have been hard, for some more than others. I have immense faith in the Party, especially Chairman Mao, and their efforts to get everything back on track! However, society will forever be changed if my observations in the countryside are accurate. 

I truly believe the worst is behind us. Unfortunately, the combination of natural disasters and Mao’s great campaigns, such as collectivization, the Four Pests, and the mass steel melting movements in the countryside, have had detrimental effects on the health and wellness of our country and people. Until 1959, I had no idea anything was wrong until millions of people rushed into Beijing looking for food. This caused me immense worry. As you know, my family is located in the countryside in Anyang. I was eager to return home and investigate other areas to see why this mass exodus was occurring. What I found in 1959 was horrific. All around me, there were almost too many problems to report on in my village, and others I passed through on my way back to Beijing to write this. 

First, I noticed the lack of housing and basic necessities. In 1958, my village, like many others, collectivized all private property, and communal housing was developed. However, many were left homeless and left to survive in the elements if they were not fit for agricultural production in the eyes of the greedy cadres who do not reflect the values of our beloved Party. When I arrived, I learned my elderly father was cast out of the village commune in 1958 by the cadres due to his inability to work. There was no reason to do this because I have been told the Henan province is now completely infertile and unworkable due to over-irrigation. After visiting other villages, I heard many of the same cruel and tragic tales. Furthermore, many families lack clothing, blankets, and other essentials. I have witnessed women working fields with no tops and orphans running around entirely naked. Much of the melted steel that these people donated for the backyard steel furnace campaign has been rendered useless. Just years earlier, I was teaching these same cadres and communes how to implement policies that have so deeply strained the countryside. The Great Leap Forward did not aim to cause these issues, and I believe our great Chairman Mao had no knowledge that these greedy cadres and a lack of revolutionary spirit would convolute his policies. Little did I know that homelessness was the least pressing problem I would soon find.

I quickly came to understand why so many peasants were rushing into urban areas, a total lack of food, and utter inhumanity. Unfortunately, it seems repeated years of bad weather and the quick transitions to CCP collectivization campaigns have rendered the countryside with barely enough grain to feed themselves, let alone export it to the cities and debt-collecting countries such as the USSR. This is not because Mao is ignoring their plight. I have visited numerous towns in which the cadres over-report their grain production to placate the leaders with false numbers that leave their village with no leftover grain and even more problems. In every village I went to, there were starved bodies piling up, some even being eaten for food or dug up and boiled for ineffective fertilizer. The makeup of our nation will forever be changed as children, and the elderly have become the most likely to die in these horrible times. Besides the constant visage of death, there is a health crisis among the living. In the countryside and in the cities, the healthcare system has collapsed. People are suffering en masse from edema, babies are developing rickets, and women have a multitude of gynecological problems, including infertility! My sister-in-law can no longer produce milk for her 2-week-old baby. These are dire times indeed.

Fortunately, the Party seems to be making moves towards recovery after these three years of struggle. No thanks are needed to our former ally, the USSR, who have shown they would rather exacerbate our plight than help us in our time of need. We are incredibly fortunate to have such thoughtful leadership, and it is exciting to see we will soon be able to resume the work we had started all those years ago in Yenan. Although our nation will not be as it was before due to immense population loss, economic decline, and agricultural problems, I am sure we will come back stronger from these Three Hard Years. 

To Future Prosperity,

Cui Shuli

Hello tongzhimen, 

 

I write to you again at a difficult time. After returning to headquarters in Beijing and following the mass collectivization in the countryside, those of us in the city began to notice shortages of rice and the like. It had not affected us so greatly that we could not go on, as I recall my father telling me of famines past in our hometown, but I was curious to investigate as the targets for grain this year had been high. Not hearing much awry in the papers, I took it upon myself to venture into the countryside and hear from those producing the crops.

It was a staggering scene in the Gaoguanzhai township. While locals said that the harvest had been prosperous in the warmer seasons, they did not have enough food to eat as the year went on. Even emergency rations were not enough, and the scene became desperate, with those sowing corn eating the kernels as they did so. Every family I spoke to had at least two members who had passed, almost always from starvation. Even those alive were unseemly, emaciated or with swollen legs. Women suffered greatly, as the nutrients that they needed to menstruate, carry children, and breastfeed were not available. This affected their children in turn, and many babies had bowed legs. Families suffered, and divorces grew out of necessity. 

While natural disasters and bad crops have commonly led to famines in our history, I believe there are more reasons for what we see now. The Soviets did not want the Chinese people to surpass them in strength and prosperity, so they gave misguided instructions on engineering and agriculture and asked for too much in return for grain and loans. If the Soviets truly supported China, they would have backed our struggle against the Nationalists, but they did not. Our farming techniques are superior to the Russian’s, and Lysenko’s lies led us to ruin, hindering seed growth. Lysenko’s false promises gave collectives great ambition, leading them to compete with higher and higher projections of grain output that never came.

 

Although Mao’s guidance is infallible, there are many in our nation who infect and undermine the Great Leap Forward: rightists. We know this as Mao said himself that ten percent of our citizens are rightists, and from what I have heard it seems that they are, in part, responsible for these famines. One man told me that a party official representing his village reported the grain output as higher than it really was in order to bolster his image in the party. This had devastating consequences for the rest in the village, however, as so much was taken from them that they had no food left for themselves. Hoarding by these rightist party members is also an issue, and a woman from another village that I visited confided in me that her local official had taken surplus grain for himself then acted as if others had done so. Families accused of hoarding were subsequently threatened and even beaten for grain that they did not have. This corruption must be rooted out.

 

Chairman Mao has shown great understanding as always and is dialing back the speed of The Great Leap Forward. He, the General Line, and the Rural People’s Communes have done no wrong, but are flexible as always to the changing conditions of the times and the needs of the people. China will surely achieve the grand targets in the future set out by the party.

In the wake of the Great Leap Forward, China finds itself at a critical juncture, facing the repercussions of ambitious policies gone awry. As a reporter stationed in Beijing, I aim to shed light on the most significant consequences of this period, offering insights into the challenges that lie ahead.

The Great Leap Forward’s goal for rapid industrialization led to a misallocation of resources, disrupting agricultural practices. Communes and backyard furnaces diverted labor and resources away from farming, causing a severe decline in agricultural output. This crisis has left millions hungry and struggling, with widespread food shortages amplifying the suffering of the rural people. Tragically, the consequences of the Great Leap Forward are written in the faces of the people. Famine has claimed the lives of millions, making this period one of the deadliest in human history. Families have been torn apart, communities decimated, and the nation’s social fabric strained to its limits. The toll on human life and dignity is immeasurable. I have seen sights that I thought I would never see. I have experienced people eating the deceased in order to get proper nourishment. I’ve seen babies left deformed from a lack of nourishment.  People are even eating dirt to fill their bellies with something. 

The social fabric of our society is unraveling. Once bound by shared traditions and mutual support, communities are now torn apart by hunger and desperation. The dispossessed roam the land, searching for sustenance and hope. Refugee camps spring up on the outskirts of cities, housing those who have been driven from their homes by famine. The sense of belonging that once defined our communities is replaced by a haunting emptiness.

Internationally, the repercussions of the Great Leap Forward have not gone unnoticed. China’s image as a rising power has been tarnished, and diplomatic challenges loom large. Rebuilding trust and credibility on the global stage will be daunting, requiring a careful and strategic approach to international relations.

Where decisions shaping the fate of millions are made, Mao’s advisors had reportedly advised a more cautious approach. They argued that the ambitious targets set for agricultural and industrial growth were unrealistic, warning that the hurried pace risked the stability of our society. These advisors, seasoned veterans of the revolution, saw the potential for disaster, urging Mao to consider the well-being of the people before racing ahead.

In conclusion, the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward paints a portrait of a nation at a crossroads. The mistakes made during this time were extreme, profoundly shaping China’s future. As the nation grapples with the aftermath, the Chinese people have a sense of resilience and determination. It is a moment of reckoning, a time for introspection, and a call for transformative change. 

-Miao Bing Rong

Dear Comrades, 

 

It has been a few years since I last wrote an entry informing you on what is happening in the countryside of China. At this point, land reform has been well on the way but hasn’t been the most successful. Mao continues to try to build the country and make the peasants better off. However, his next major move of making “The Great Leap” isn’t going exactly as planned. It may even seem that the country is falling off the path they might have seemed to be on. The concept of the Chinese communes were failing in multiple ways from the top down. This was a direct consequence of the attempt of having immediate progress with the campaigns Mao implemented.

 

The increase in production and labor that Mao envisioned was not a balanced or a realistic feat that the Chinese peasants could handle (Peng, 438). The communes were failing as it resulted in divorcing the peasants from reality and the masses would lose its support for the party. This not only created starvation but divided the party and their families.The local cadres and leaders were also corrupt in this way as they would lie about the crop production because of the pressure to repay the debt which made the peasants lose even more trust about the party. Collectivations were expected to increase their production and by having unrealistic goals, the campaign would fail miserably. With Mao’s Anti-rightist campaign, it was a crime to speak out against the party or to seek the truth about how the country was doing (Xun 30). These leaders would keep their collectivization so closed off that the people of a community would believe that they were going through a poor harvesting season, instead of seeing that the whole country was in the same situation. The party leaders who were higher up even ignored protests when people did speak out about their situations which is a huge issue if there was any chance of change in the foreseeable future. Later in 1959, the Anti-hiding campaign was launched in the countryside to prevent the peasants from concealing grain amounts, concealing labor, and withholding labor (Xun 37). Not only did it encourage cadres to promote violence in the countryside, but it turned peasants against peasants which created even more of an issue.

 

Mao, with the help of Soviet Union funding, had attempted to turn the country into an industrialized nation. There was a focus on the production of steel and cultivating more cotton instead of crops to feed the nation. Mao would also implement new farming methods which called to plough deeper and to plant more seeds close to each other. People would turn to eating mud and tree bark as substitutes for food (Xun, 5). To meet the government procurement quotas, rice and grain were taken right from the Chinese peasants to repay the debt, which created even more starvation within the nation. In terms of steel production, peasants were forced to break down useful tools which would inevitably be useless to the Chinese (Sue, 48 mins). This was a result of not having Deaths rising  and women were not able to even give birth or breastfeed because of the malnourishment of their bodies. The poverty throughout the whole country was so bad that families began to sell their children to support themselves to get through the next week (Xun 9). Mao’s campaign to eliminate the four pests also backfired on him. He believed that by eliminating sparrows, rats, mosquitoes, and flies would allow the harvest to flourish. However, by creating a propaganda to eliminate the sparrows, the insects ran rampant and would destroy much of the crops. 

With all the negative aspects of the Great Leap, we can still believe in Mao to create a better life for the average Chinese citizen. Within all revolutions, there are shortcomings that can be addressed and learned from. I believe once the party finds a way to be transparent about the situation, it will regain the trust of the peasants and it can build a strong community. The muddled vision of strategic goals and concrete measures have affected which decision the party has made to attempt to make the country better. Instead of trying to make big changes immediately, it would be a better option to strive for gradual growth that would make a more impactful change for the future.

Greetings Tongzhimen,

I apologize that it has been so long since my last post. Living just outside the city, my family survived the recent famines and we have all been able to remain together. Though these are tumultuous times, I have faith that China will quickly return to its former might! I have read more of Chairman Mao’s works since returning from my work team, and this line stands out to me as China prepares to move past these difficulties:

“New things always have to experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow. It is sheer fantasy to imagine that the cause of socialism is all plain sailing and easy success, without difficulties and setbacks or exertion of tremendous efforts” (On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People [1957]).

While our country will certainly be led back to prosperity by Chairman Mao and the Party, there have been some significant problems over the past few years. “The Three Hard Years”, 1959-1961, have had grave consequences for China. 

 

Physically the people have suffered, mainly the peasants in the countryside. Our famines have led to malnutrition and the many issues that present with it. As early as 1958, famine began and peasants were forced to make tough decisions to stay alive. At a Party meeting I read a report by the “Jinan Municipal Investigation Team on the outbreak of famine and deaths in Gaoguanzhai township” from January 1959. For about five months the township faced severe food shortages and the people were forced to take drastic measures when the emergency food aid was not enough. “From early spring to summer, when food first became scarce, people supplemented their diet with chaff, tree bark, and weeds. Some locals told us they had eaten at least fifty types of food substitutes during this time.” Villagers consumed seeds and unripe vegetables, as well as peanut skins and other food substitutes. 

 

The health effects of the food shortages were dire. Edema in particular was a massive issue. The Hunan province stated in 1961 that “within forty days after January 1…35,816 people throughout the province died from edema.” a number which only increased as the year went on. The healthcare system has been unable to treat many, which has added to the death toll. In addition, “most women of childbearing age stopped having periods. Mothers had no milk left to breastfeed, and many babies starved to death as a result.” Last year, I read another report concerning a request from the Sichuan Province Welfare Committee “for additional medical relief funds for the year 1961 to treat edema and gynecological problems.” “Between January and April [1961], more than 1.4 million women in the Sichuan province have been found to be suffering from gynecological problems each month including amenorrhea and uterine prolapse.” According to their investigation, they believed that “in the next eight months more than 3 million women will be in need of treatment.” These health conditions were disastrous for women working in the fields or in the collectives, and also caused miscarriages, infertility, premature births, and a range of birth defects. 

 

In addition to the physical consequences of the past three years, we have witnessed various environmental concerns throughout the country. I read a report earlier this year regarding “the damage to forests in Fujian and four other provinces.” In these provinces, a lot of land was deforested to create new farmland to increase grain production. In Hunan, “unrestrained deforestation to create more agricultural land has not only destroyed trees but also caused soil erosion. This means that after two or three years many newly converted areas of farmland will turn into wasteland again. No one will be able to grow anything.” “On the other hand, [deforestation] has also triggered droughts and floods in the lower reaches of the Yangtze, causing a decrease in grain production in the region.” These forested areas are struggling to keep up with increasing export quotas as their production goes down. I have also heard whisperings of floods in other provinces, but have not seen any documentation regarding these issues. There very well could have been intense rainy seasons in some provinces causing floods and thus a reduction in grain production. 

 

While the country has been in a state of turmoil over these past few years, we must listen to Chairman Mao and his directives forward. I remember Chairman Mao’s speech a few years ago in 1955, in which he stated:

“The wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands, follow a Marxist-Leninist line and take an active attitude on solving problems instead of evading them, there will be no difficulty in the world they cannot overcome” (Introductory note to “The Party Secretary Takes the Lead and All the Party Members Help Run the Co-operatives” [1955]).

We, the Chinese people, have the power to bring our country back to prosperity if we listen to the Chairman and the Party. 

 

Stay safe,

Miao Kuo shuo

 

Dear Readers,

As you are most likely aware, we have been struck with a national tragedy. The past several years have been extremely trying for our great country. Natural disaster after natural disaster have rocked the people to the core. Chairman Mao’s genius plan to fix the backward economic system that has kept China from taking its rightful place as a great world power was bound to succeed without what seemed like divine intervention against our nation. When making this great leap of economic progress, Chairman Mao was smart enough to warn against boasting or exaggerating production levels in order to prevent unhealthy competition between different provinces [Dietrich, 121]. By the end of 1958, the future looked incredibly bright for our great nation. Both industrial and agricultural production had risen significantly [Zhou, 3], and the country was on the verge of an economic breakthrough. However, through no fault of the Party or Chairman Mao, these positive changes would not last. The efforts to transform the landscape of the country were valiant, but the unfortunate natural disasters have sadly lain waste to the Chairman’s great vision.

The initiative to build backyard furnaces was something that came from the right idea but was unfortunately derailed by the conditions of the country. The people were eager to jump to the Chairman’s call to join the industrial effort, but unfortunately, the people began to neglect the fieldwork that was necessary to maintain the agricultural economy. The timing of floods and droughts combined with the new iron smelting effort have had disastrous results on crops. An eyewitness I interviewed in one village told me that “Strong people have left to smelt iron, only children and old women reaped the crops [Dietrich, 130]. Economic reform originally made drastic improvements, but the natural disasters quickly prevented any lasting growth.

Famine has hit our great nation with a vengeance, as people are now starving, looking for any way to find food to eat. In my recent travels, I have seen several extreme cases of people eating food substitutes such as weeds, leaves, and mud in order to try to stay alive [Zhou, 8]. Famine has pushed the people to riot and cause unrest, greatly straining the countryside even more. Reports from Shanxi and Gansu Provinces indicate that both provinces have seen riots over food shortages in more than twenty counties in each province [Zhou, 12.] These shortages have brought out the worst in the people, with forced labor, torture, and even murder in some cases [Zhou, 21].

Our great nation is going through an incredibly trying period, and I must stress that this is not the fault of Chairman Mao and the Party. While the policies of the so-called “Great Leap Forward” were drastic and could be considered radical in some cases, they were only doomed by the natural disasters of flooding and droughts that have plagued the countryside and brought about this famine unlike anything ever seen before. We must stand strong together as a united people behind the Chairman, for only he can lead us out of this crisis.

Stay safe,

孙诚

Dear my 同士,

 

　Today, I would like to convey the realities of the current situation in China. The country I live in now is challenging and chaotic. I moved to the countryside to learn more about the current situation and tell you about the case. My family is not in such a difficult situation because of its essential position in the Communist Party. Still, I would like to go to the most miserable places and report on the status. It is dangerous to note such criticism and consider my position because it seems Rightest.  The problem is too rapid a policy change and too high an ideological goal. Recently, the government assigned tasks to the peasants, such as steel production and the extermination of the four pests, and fined them if they failed to complete them. Thus, the peasants sacrificed their livelihoods to meet the government’s demands. This might cause a terrible situation in local areas. However, there was no way that rural villages in the region could have the technology to produce high-quality steel. The metal used for cooking pots and farm implements was also collected and melted. Of course, this steel was also unusable. In addition, since many farmers were mobilized for this movement, the farmland left unmanaged became desolate, and agricultural production was significantly reduced. In today’s society, once the government gives an order, almost the entire population is mobilized to follow the order. However, this has caused the following devastation.

　Mao is implementing the Great Leap Forward policy to grow the country faster. However, countless people suffer from famine, and the death toll is high. This is a tragic situation, more so than in any previous war. The famine is so bad that people suffer from unbelievable conditions in the countryside where I am now. Some people said they ate dirt because there was no food and their stomachs were empty. This has created severe health problems; many suffer from constipation, edema, and food poisoning. This also seems to be happening in cities, with large numbers of children suffering from rickets (a disease that causes weak and soft bones), a disease caused by malnutrition. Some sold their children to survive, and because of this shocking environment, many had mental illnesses. Also, the current situation is dire, especially for women. Many women suffered from hunger and exhaustion, which led to amenorrhea and uterine prolapse, the loss of the muscles that support the uterus. Young women were expected to work as much as men, sometimes subjected to sexual violence and humiliation. Grandmothers at home were also expected to care for their grandchildren, cook, and do all the household chores. 1959 was believed to be a good harvest and fertile year for our country. But imprisonment, endless political campaigns, and this severe hunger could be considered a “season of death.”

　The damage caused by drought and flooding is also severe. Is there any way out of this disaster-like situation? We can only hope for the Mao and the Communist Party.

Greetings Tongzhimen,

The Great Leap Forward, led by the visionary Chairman Mao was a daring effort to propel our nation into an era of economic and social advancement. Its primary objective was to enhance productivity and accelerate industrialization aiming to transform China from an agricultural economy into a thriving industrial power. By uniting the strength of the people through the establishment of people’s communes, which aimed to pool resources, foster mutual assistance, and take advantage of economies of scale.

While a potentially necessary step towards modernization and catching up with other industrialized nations, the campaign had negative consequences. People’s communes, though well-intentioned, presented formidable challenges to rural communities. The transition disrupted established agricultural practices, leading to a decrease in agricultural production. These difficulties, expected during such a drastic societal shift, also serve as a testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to modernization and progress.

 An unexpected challenge of people’s communes is the tendency for local cadres to make decisions not aligned with local conditions or the needs of the community along with over-reporting of grain production to meet grain production targets. These exaggerated reports masked the true extent of the food crisis. As a result, food scarcity in provinces across the country worsened into a food shortage. A report by the Jinan Municipal Investigation Team on the outbreak of famine and deaths in Gaoguanzhai township states Cadres would also often hoard rations for themselves. Out of desperation people resorted to consuming substitutes like tree bark, weeds, and corn husks. Millions died of starvation and malnutrition was widespread, particularly affecting the vulnerable, children and the elderly. 

A report from the Wanxian Region Committee recounts how local cadres subjected people to inhumane and brutal measures. They established illegal jails, unauthorized courts, and labor camps. Along with torturing individuals, subjecting them to hanging, physical beatings, forcing them to kneel on scorching coals, inflicting mouth piercings, and other heinous acts. Afterward, they would burn the dead bodies to get rid of the evidence. These actions not only failed to contribute towards meeting grain production targets but also inflicted immense pain and suffering on innocent individuals. 

Counter-revolutionary Wu Xing and his crimes were reported by the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee. He established illegal labor camps and punished people with hard labor if they did not show up to work or showed dissatisfaction. He used his power as a Cadre to threaten those he disliked. While the people in the village were struggling to survive, Wu Xing and his followers had a feast for every meal. Wu Xing and his followers are not comrades, they are greedy, power-hungry rightists who showed their true nature when times became difficult.   

Though the Great Leap Forward carried noble intentions with its grand vision it is crucial not to overlook the complexity of reality. We must learn from the hardships endured during the Great Leap Forward in order to build a prosperous future for our country.

Good day, tongzhimen,

 

I now write to you on the move between towns in rural China, where land reform is well underway. While many at Yenan chose to organize in work groups to carry out this grand revolutionary process, I have been documenting this pivotal moment in our nation’s history. 

 

Although the party members sent to villages seem to have enough zeal to attempt this on their own, they have been instructed by the Communist Party to mobilize the masses to bring about land reform. If it was simply an outwardly-enforced activity, it would not be revolutionary; as Mao always insists, the peasants must be empowered and take down their oppressors by force if fanshen is to truly be achieved. To do this, the peasants must first be assisted by the work teams in understanding their situation and how they must change it. Although peasants have been taken advantage of by landlords and others throughout all of our history, in fact, because of this, they have not had the opportunity of education to learn of the true class dichotomy that they have been living under. Demoralized and brainwashed by the Confucian system to accept this fate, rural peasants are in need of instruction and encouragement from the party; this is the importance of the mass line. Such a radical reordering of society and destruction of the dated hierarchy is also essential in transforming the role of women, as land reform can take down her oppressors while giving her land and thus, agency.

 

However, such an ambitious endeavor as land reform comes with its mistakes. Mao has, many times, brought up his concerns regarding the lapse of understanding between excited young communists and rural peasants, and I have seen issues arise from this in multiple towns. Many on the work teams hail from cities and are commonly educated, in the arts, wealthy, or all three. Their knowledge of the rural peasants’ plight is not based on real experience, but idealized novels from likewise ignorant urban elites such as Zhou Libo. Though their lack of knowledge is through no fault of their own, many enthusiastic party members go into towns with preconceived notions and no nuance. Some towns have a hard time trusting the work teams simply for this lack of understanding and mistrust of outsiders. One woman recounted to me a situation in which 

 

There too are the issues of greed and women’s rights. One peasant woman recounted her tale to me, explaining that all in her village were quite poor already and that the landlord did not bother her or her family. However, when other peasants learned that ‘fruits of struggle’ would be provided to them, they fabricated bitterness against the landlord, who was beaten to death on encouragement of the work team. They tormented his wife as well, which they deemed appropriate as she had remarried after being widowed. The woman speaking of experience said that she and other women in the village who tried speaking bitterness about their abusive husbands were silenced, and received no fruits of struggle as they had not participated in the beatings. In another village, I found that men in the work team had not only pocketed the landlord’s money and jewelry for themselves, but had also been sexually abusing young peasant women. In these towns, nothing was truly achieved for women, and the processes were not truly revolutionary.

 

Furthermore, I have some concerns about class distinctions. Although the oppression of the peasantry has been endemic in China, prosperity does not always result from exploitation. My father’s ancestors were poor peasants until he began selling farming equipment, not only helping others who didn’t have it but making profit without exploitation. I am worried that, as he was recently able to purchase more land, he will be lumped in with the rich peasants and attacked. Though I have seen more moderate land reform in the North, our village is in the South.