Chapter 42 Notice of the General Political Department on Surveying Population and Land Conditions

(April 2, 1931) Political departments of the Red Army and local governments at all levels: We now provide two survey forms for population and land.These two tables are mainly to count the land and population proportions of various classes, and more specifically to answer many of our current questions with hard facts. In the past, many places often neglected the investigation of actual facts and decided on work plans and guided the work of subordinates only based on their own fantasies. As a result, the plans did not work and the guidance was wrong. At present, if we can fill out these two forms according to the correct statistics with deep attention to reality, we can solve many of our problems, especially many practical problems in the distribution of land.I deeply hope that the Political Department of the Red Army pays attention to filling in every place they go, and the local government organs fill it out from town to town. I especially hope that every person in charge of the Red Army and the government will do this kind of investigation and statistics anytime and anywhere.

How can we make the materials obtained from the investigation true and correct? First, we must establish a deep understanding of this work, and only when we see the importance of this work clearly can we pay great attention to it. Second, the investigators must not be afraid of trouble.To investigate this township, it is necessary to find the population and land survey books of their land distribution, find the land commissioner who handles the land distribution in this township, and people who are familiar with the situation in this township. It is clear which class owns the land (belonging to landlords, rich peasants, middle peasants, poor peasants...), and then use the hard calculation method to make clear statistics and fill in the actual number.

Third, the comrades sent out by the higher-level government to guide and the responsible comrades of the Political Department must explain the contents of the two forms and the points to be paid attention to during the investigation to the comrades who perform this work in detail.In particular, it must be made clear: the standard for a rich peasant is that exploitation is a considerable part of his income.Those who lend or borrow in small amounts are still listed among the middle peasants.Those who were originally farm laborers (before the revolution) had rented land to cultivate were still classified as poor peasants.Those whose whole family does not farm the land and only rely on independent labor (such as tailors, carpenters, etc.) to make a living are called independent laborers.Half-farming and half-handicraftsmen are still classified as poor peasants, middle peasants or rich peasants according to their economic status.The difference between a freelancer and a hooligan is that a freelancer seeks a decent job (such as a doctor, a teacher, etc.), while a hooligan does not have a certain occupation, and his life behavior is not fixed, and they all do a lot of bad things.

If the above items are not clarified during the investigation, you will be at a loss, and you will definitely get the class composition wrong, and lose the correct value of statistics. These two forms - the land form and the population form are closely related and must be filled out at the same time.Regardless of individual or group, fill it out and seal it and mail it directly to the General Political Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. Our slogan is: One, no investigation has no right to speak. Second, if you don't do the right investigation, you don't have the right to speak.

Central Revolutionary Military Council Mao Zedong Director of the General Political Department According to the "Mao Zedong Rural Investigation Collected Works" published by People's Publishing House in 1982.