Major Land Laws and Rural Campaigns
May 4, 1946: May Fourth Directive
· During experimental land-to-the-tiller land reform, activists quickly move toward equalization of holdings.
· September First Directive, issued by the Central China Bureau, calls for “leveling” the holdings of rich and poor peasants. The shift from land-to-the-filler to fill-the-gaps land reform occurred in fall 1946
· Summer 1947: “Reexamination” land reform seeks to ensure the poor received enough land.
October 10, 1947: China Outline Land Law
· Subsequent land equalization campaigns attempt to level holdings.
· December 1947: “Swept out of the house” campaigns start in the Northeast; excessive violence and expanding struggle threaten the Civil War effort.
· Early 1948: Reexamination campaigns now seek to repay the wrongly expropriated.
· Summer, 1948: Land reform was halted.
· October 10, 1949: The North China Bureau calls for new campaigns using the “move the two ends, don’t touch the middle” approach.
· Late 1949: Beijing suburbs experiment with relatively peaceful land reform.
June 30, 1950: Land Reform Law of the People’s Republic of China
· 1950: Campaigns against Nationalist “bandits” and “evil tyrants” took place.
· Land reform typically was preceded by campaigns to reduce rent and interest; in some places, it was also preceded by campaigns to return deposits held by landlords.
· The first campaigns with the final land law start in autumn 1950 and were often followed by reexamination campaigns.