The Political Organisation Of Chinese Agriculture

When the Community Party came to power in 1949 there were two main groups in the Chinese agricultural system. The landlords and rich peasants, who formed about 10 per cent of the population owned or controlled about 70 per cent of the land. The great masses of Chinese peasants cultivated the remainder or served as tenants under circumstances which promoted a high level of poverty and often a hopeless level of indebtedness.