Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2016, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (4): 40-75.

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Quantification of Social Class in the Chinese Communist Land Reform: “The School of Counting” in Communist Party's Land Revolution

MENG Qingyan   

  1. School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law;Historical Sociology and CPC's History Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law
  • Online:2016-07-20 Published:2016-07-20
  • Supported by:

    The project “Restudy of the Land Revolution in the Central Soviet from Political Sociology Perspective(1927-1934)” is supported by the Youth Foundation of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ministry of Education of China(15YJC840022),and also the project is supported by the Scientific Research Subsidy Scheme for New Teachers of China University of Political Science and Law.

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Abstract:

The Land Survey Movement (chatian yundong) led by the CCP in 1933 incorporated for the first time quantified measurements into land reform. It became an established practice in the newly liberated areas after 1946 as well as for the nationwide land reform after the 1949 Liberation. The existing research on land reform paid little attention to this important quantification method of social class used to define rural social classes. Even those who did pay attention are mostly interested in the policy side of the practice. This study focuses on the architect of this quantification method——Wang Guanlan. Through historical archives, memoirs, and journal articles and documents, Wang's personal background, his education and involvement in the communist revolution are thoroughly examined to reach an accurate understanding of the person and the practice he was responsible for. In so doing, we gain some insights to the “technocrats” in the CCP during that period and their pragmatism, and how the CCP turned a theoretical and ideological concept of “class” into an applicable measurement to define rural classes and the limitation associated with such a practice.

Key words: pragmatism, School of the Soviet Union sent, land revolution, class, School of Counting