The Outline Land Law of China

In 1947, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) turned from defensive to offensive strategy, extensive land reform was carried out in the Liberated Areas, giving the peasants a great incentive to join the revolution and boost their production in support of the War of Liberation.

From July to September 1947, a National Land Conference was held in Xibaipo Village in Pingshan County, Hebei Province, the temporary seat of the CPC Central Committee, which formulated the Outline Land Law of China. This was a program for abolishing the land system of feudal and semi-feudal exploitation and putting into effect the system of "the land to the tillers."

The CPC soon published the guidelines and policies for the reform, that is, to rely on the poor peasants and unite with the middle peasants to abolish the system of feudal exploitation step by step and in a considered program, and develop agricultural production. The reform progressed smoothly. By the autumn of 1948, the feudal relationship of production had been eliminated in the Liberated Areas, to the benefit of 100 million people, principally the peasants who had long suffered oppression and exploitation by their landlords, and who had now achieved political and economic emancipation, thus firing their enthusiasm for work. A large number of young people became PLA soldiers or joined the civilian war service. This contributed to the final victory in the War of Liberation.

The Outline Land Law was the CPC's first program on land system reform following the end of the war against the Japanese aggression. It promoted land reform in the Liberated Areas, and exerted extensive political influence in the KMT-ruled areas.

《中國土地法大綱》

1947年人民解放軍由戰略防御轉入戰略進攻的新形勢，要求在解放區更加普遍深入地開展土地制度改革，以充分調動廣大農民革命和生產的積極性，支援解放戰爭。1947年7月至9月，中共中央工作委員會在河北省平山縣西柏坡村召開全國土地會議，制定了《中國土地法大綱》。這個徹底的反封建的土地革命綱領，明確規定廢除封建性及半封建性剝削的土地制度，實行耕者有其田的土地制度。隨后，中國共產黨又明確了土地改革工作的總路線、總政策，即依靠貧農，團結中農，有步驟地有分別地消滅封建剝削制度，發展農業生產。土地改革運動走上健康發展的軌道，取得巨大成績。到1948年秋，在1億人口的地區，封建的生產關系被消滅了，長期遭受地主階級殘酷壓迫和剝削的廣大農民在政治上經濟上翻了身，生產積極性大為高漲，大批青壯年加入人民軍隊或擔負戰爭勤務，從而保證了人民解放戰爭的勝利進行。

《中國土地法大綱》是抗日戰爭勝利后，中國共產黨公開頒布的第一個關于土地制度改革的綱領性文件，對解放區的土地改革運動起到了巨大的推動作用，并在當時的國民黨統治區產生了廣泛的政治影響。