Land Reform Movement in Liberated Areas

During the People’s Liberation War, the CPC led a large-scale reform campaign for the land system among poor peasants in the vast Liberated Areas. The reform of the land system was one of the basic tasks and main component of the New-Democratic Revolution. By the winter of 1946, the land reform movement was underway in all the Liberated Areas of Hebei, wherever circumstances permitted.

In February 1947, the Central Bureau of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei convened a work review meeting on the land reform undertaking, then made a careful summary of the land reform movement since the implementation of the May Fourth Directive. While affirming the achievements, it identified the shortcomings and put forward the task of reexamination. After the meeting, partial Rectification move was initiated in respect to the land reform movement in Central Hebei, Hebei-Shanxi, Eastern Hebei and Chahar provinces.

From July to September 1947, the CPC held a National Land Conference in Xibaipo Village, Pingshan County, Hebei Province, which was chaired by Liu Shaoqi, Secretary of the Central Working Committee. The Conference summarized the experience of the previous period of land reform, formulated and adopted the “Outline of China's Land Law”, which thoroughly implemented land reform, and officially announced it on October 10 with the approval of the CPC Central Committee. So far, the land reform movement started rapidly in the vast rural areas of the Liberated Areas.

In December 1947, Mao Zedong published “The Present Situation and Our Tasks”, and in January 1948, Ren Bishi published “Several Problems in the Land Reform” to correct the “Left” mistakes in the land reform movement. On April 1, 1948, Mao Zedong made a speech at the Jinsui Cadre Conference, pointing out that the general line of land reform was to rely on poor peasants, to unite middle peasants, to eliminate the feudal exploitation system step by step and to develop agricultural production separately. In this way, the land reform policies of the CPC during the People’s Liberation War became more complete and the land reform movement developed more healthily.

The land reform movement in the Liberated Areas met the land requirements of the masses of peasants, stimulated the revolutionary enthusiasm of the people at the bottom, made the People’s Liberation War a source of political, economic, and military strength, and effectively guaranteed the victory of the war. During the People’s Liberation War, in agricultural areas throughout the country with a population of 145 million, the land reform was carried out, the feudal exploitation system was abolished and "land for the tiller" was achieved. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the land reform was also carried out in the new areas with a population of 310 million.

By September 1952, land reform was generally implemented throughout the country, except in minority areas such as Xinjiang, Xizang, and Taiwan Province.