Society forAngloChinese >Understanding

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

See page three

MAY 1966 VOL. 1 No. 8

THE COMMUNES TODAY CamdenWe print below a condensation of a working paper by Prof Joan

Robinson, Deputy-Chairman of SACU, presented at Phase 1 of the ChinaConference held at the University of Chicago 8 to 12 Feb, 1966. Onehundred and forty specialists and laymen attended the meeting. Amongthose present from Britain were Audrey Donnithorne and ProfessorJack Grey. After Phase 1 some of the specialists went on to Phase 2which consisted of a series of public discussions held in various mid-western cities.

THE MOST urgent economic problem for the Republic in 3949 was to raiseagricultural output so as to improve the standard of life of the rural populationand to increase the surplus available for the cities to permit a growth ofindustry. With the example of the USSR before their eyes the authorities weredetermined to find a means of extracting the surplus without alienating thepeasants.

The Land ReformThe first step was a comprehensive land reform. The different classes were

categorised into: landlords who lived from rent and other exactions; richpeasants who worked but who also hired labour; middle peasants who neitherhired labour nor rented land; and the poor peasants and landless families whowere obliged to work for others. The land was then redistributed accordingto a plan approved by general consent. The result of this redistribution was anupsurge in production. Land was still in the hands of individuals but thriftypeasants were saving out of their increased incomes and buying fertilizer tofurther boost production.

Investment without InflationMeanwhile large irrigation schemes

had begun. Most of the work wasdone manually by large groups. Thecentral problem was how to preventinflation where peasants who hadformerly been engaged on producingfood were now engaged on publicworks. The solution which was arrivedat was that the supply cooperative ofeach village was to provide for its owncontingent of workers. The motive ofseeing 'their boys' w,ere as well sup-plied as any others was brought intoplay, and so mobilised the potentialsaving without inflation.

Cooperatives to CommunesWeighing and analysing experience

the authorities realised that contraryto Soviet doctrine, collectivisation wasnot a means to mechanisation but asubstitute for it. There accordinglydeveloped in 1956 the drive towardsthe higher cooperative which by 1958had changed into the commune move-ment. The change from the coopera-tives of 1956 to the communes of 1958was connected with the problems of

scale of arrangement. The cooperativesproved to be too large from one pointof view and too small from another.When a thousand or more workersare sharing their joint proceeds therelationship between individual effortand individual earnings is too muchdiluted to make a strong incentive forconscientious work. The personal andtechnical problems of control andaccounting were a strain on availablemanagerial capacity especially wherethe cooperatives comprised a numberof separate villages. On the other hand,an area of a few hundred acres wasoften insufficient for the best deploy-ment of land while both the labourforce and the area w.ere much toosmall to exploit the possibilities ofimprovements through irrigation,drainage, afforestation, and so forth.But, since these early days, the com-munes, which were inaugurated in aburst of enthusiasm in 1958 and ham-mered into shape in the three bad yearsthat followed, have evolved into aningenious system for reconciling therequirements of large and small scale.

Continued on page 2

preparesFINAL arrangements are now beingmade for most of the events for theGamden Festival. The woodcraft andhandicraft exhibition announced inlast month's SACU NEWS will be heldat the Central Library, Swiss Cottagealong with the paintings instead of atthe Kentish Town Branch Library, aspreviously.

The response from primary schoolsfor showing films on China Has beengood. But we have yet to receivereplies from secondary schools, col-leges and organisations about films andspeakers.

All SACU members in London, wehope, have already received the Cam-den Festival information leaflet. Weshall need a great number of peopleto help steward meetings, sell booksand be available to give informationabout the Festival. If any member iswilling to help on any specific date ortask, please contact Jennifer Chaston,24 Warren Street, Wl.

BARNET BRANCHWE regret that our report of theinaugural meeting of the Barnet Branch(SACU NEWS, April) did not do fulljustice to what was in fact an out-standingly successful event. The meet-ing was attended by more than 100people, who listened with great interestto Professor Joan Robinson and MrStuart G.elder. The enthusiastic atmos-phere that prevailed augurs well forthe success of the branch, which hasnow embarked on a programme ofactivities, including a regular studygroup.

In addition to a further meetingwhich it is hoped will be addressed byMr Geld.er on return from his presentvisit to China, a one-day conferenceis planned, and arrangements are inhand for Felix Greene's film China tobe shown in different parts of theborough.

Continued from page 1The organisation of a commune is in

three tiers:

The Team: In th,e standard case (withmany variations) the team Is the basicaccounting unit for production anddistribution. It consists of the labourforce of some thirty families, it con-trols a particular block of land withworking animals and working imple-ments (tools are individually owned).Sometimes its fields are the very samethat these families formerly ownedor received at the land reform twelveyears ago.

The team accepts responsibility fora particular plan of production overthe crop year. In addition to this agreedfigure it must also contribute:

(1) The Agricultural Tax. Owingto increased production the actualis probably less than the nominal

- - rate of_ 11 to _13.%._.However, a teamwhich fails to fulfil its agreed quotawill pay a higher rate.

(2) Costs of Production. This in-cludes payments for fodder, seeds,tractors, ploughing, etc.

(3) Contribution to Accumula-tion. This varies according to themargin above the needs of subsis-tence and according to the keennessof the team on socialist construc-tion.

(4) Contribution to the WelfareFund. This is used to secure formember families who are in distressthe five guarantees — food, clothing,shelter, medical care and funeralexpenses.

The remainder (usually about 60%of the team's gross income) is distri-buted to the members according to asystem of work points. Forward ad-vances are paid out, the balance beingdistributed after the autumn harvest.

The leader, deputy and accountantare elected by the team members anda meeting is called from time to timeto discuss any personal or technicalproblems that may arise.

A team may choose to sell morethan its quota to the State and it mayalso operate small enterprises such aspig breeding or brick making.The Brigade: The Brigade controls theallocation of land to special uses andworks out the annual crop programme.It may operate enterprises employingwage workers and provide an inde-pendent accumulation fund.

It breeds animals and perhaps mayown a truck. A family depends uponthe team that it belongs to for itsdaily bread but something like regi-mental morale attaches to the brigade;rivalry stimulates production.The Commune: The Commune hasabsorbed the lowest level of local

Needman Opens ExhibitionDr Joseph Need ham. Chairman of

SACU, opened an exhibition of tradi-tional Chinese medicine at the Well-come Institute, London, in March.

Peter Mansfield, medical studentand a member of SACU, went lastmonth to view it.

DESIGNED to acquaint its visitors withtraditional Chinese medicine, the ex-hibition comprises inplements, books,models and illustrations.

Reading the brochure's introductionis a rewarding prelude to a tour ofthe exhibits. One learns of th.e Yangand Yin—-contrasting essences whichin varying quantities pervade allthings — and their significance for theChinese physician. The basis and im-portance of acupuncture, diagnosis by

feeling pulses, and pharmacy, arealso outlined. Of more historicalinterest are references to the estab-lishment of medical schools andregional medical administration inChina in the 7th and 8th Centuriesand the early use of examinations ascriteria of qualification.

The exhibits themselves are allfascinating. Of particular interest isa good collection of the dolls usedby Chinese ladies to indicate theirailments, and another of finely madesurgical instruments and needles ofgreat variety. Two figures and severalcharts map the points of acupunc-ture. A model pharmacy, along withinstruments and many preparations,offer a clear picture of the chemist'sprofession.

government (the hsiang) and in thatcapacity is responsible for registrationof births, deaths and marriages, taxa-tion, controlling the militia, police (lawcourts are at county levef) and gearingthe commune's contribution to educa-tion and health services to thecounties.

The communes have the no fess vitaltask of coping with the effects ofnatural disasters and they can claimcredit for preventing the breakdownof the economy during the bitter years1959-61.

Creating LandThe original nucleus of the commune

system was the pooling of resources bya number of cooperatives to undertakelarge joint irrigation schemes. Thisremains a continuing fashion, but oneof the regulations laid down in the1960's is that the labour time devotedto capital works must not exceed 3%of the annual total, a limit which isgenerally disregarded by enthusiasticcommunes.

Households, Social Service andVariations

Three generations live together inconditions varying from the clean andairy to the muddy and ill-lit.

Payment by the work-point methodis augmented by produce from smallprivate plots, which is important to thefamily but which contributes less than10% to marketed supplies for thenation. Further income is earnedthrough side occupations such as thenurture of silk worms, but it is becom-ing more and more usual for this typeof enterprise to be organised by thepeasants themselves along cooperativelines In the interests of greaterefficiency.

There are, of course, local variations,

both in the standard of life and in themode of organisation. In some com-munes the brigade takes a greatermeasure of responsibility than inothers. There are also differences inthe level of morale. In some revolu-tionery elan has been maintainedthrough the difficult years. In someslackness and even corruption creptin. The general mass, between thebrilliant and the bad, are more or lesssatisfactory and steadily improving.

Again, there are variations in thefield of h.ealth. Sometimes everything,including drugs, is provided free fromthe welfare funds. At the other ex-treme, a doctor is merely invited tocome in and collect what he can forfees. Fees for indigent patients mustbe paid from the welfare fund accord-ing to the five guarantees.

MarketingLike production, sales are organised

in three tiers. At the lowest levelthere are periodic fairs at which house-holds can sell eggs, fruit, and so forthin small quantities. Prices are freelydetermined under the pressures ofsupply and demand. At the next level,individual teams and brigades can sellproducts such as noodles, sauce andwine to the supply and marketing co-operative. Here prices are fixed inwhat is considered to be a reasonablerelation to costs. Lastly, the main out-let for agricultural produce is throughthe state procurement agencies whichhave the sole right to handle the maincrops.

The procurement system for cashcrops, surplus grain, and marketgarden products, which guarantees tothe producer a stable market forfixed outputs at fixed prices, is thebasis of the whole system and makesall the rest possible.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

CHINAand

CATHERINE E. WILLIAMSON, mayorof Canterbury during the early yearsof the war, and an active member ofSACU, is presently lecturing on Chinaat various universities throughoutBritain. At the end of her tour shewill have visited 28 universities. Shereports that the students today arekeenly interested in all aspects ofChinese life and culture, and are farbetter informed than were her ownchildren at the same age, and ' milesbetter than we were when we wereyoung '.

In May, following a visit to TrinityCollege, Dublin, Mrs Williamson willspeak on four separate occasions atCanterbury University. Her subjectsare: (1) Government in China from1949 to the present day; (2) Com-munism and its impact on daily lifein China; (3) Communes; (4) Theplace of the Christian Church and thephilosophies under the new govern-ment in China.

Below we reprint a letter to theeditors of the 'Guardian' (16 March,1966) from Catherine Williamson:

Sir,—I note with some surpriseRichard Scott's account (March 7) ofSenator Fulfaright's speech in theSenate. Quite clearly, Senator Fulbrighthas altered his outlook. According toRichard Scott, Senator Fulbright says:' It is the view of certain Chineseexperts in our Government that theChinese leaders themselves expect tobe at war with the United Stateswithin a year, and it is clear that someof our own officials also expect a warwith China.'

As a person who has been, and is,closely in touch with Chinese affairs,more particularly members of theChinese Assembly, I can assure SenatorFulbright that the Chinese leaders donot expect to be at war with th.eUnited States within a year; and,further, they have no intention ofmaking a war with the United Statesunless the United States makes waron them.

Further, China has promised at leasttwice that she will never use her

A LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY

Dear Member,

As you will know from the April issue of SACU NEWS, the first AnnualGeneral Meeting of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding Ltd has beensummoned for 2.30 pm on Saturday, 21 May, 1966, in the Central Hall, West-minster, SW1.

This meeting is being held a year after the inauguration of SACU on 15 May,1965, and will thus constitute an occasion for reviewing the first year's work ofthe Society. Formally, however, it will be held in accordance with the provisionsof the Memorandum and Articles of Association: SACU was incorporated as aCompany Limited by Guarantee on 4 April, 1966 (not in March, as prematurelyannounced in the last issue of SACU NEWS), thus gaining legal protection forits aims and objects. Copies of the Memorandum and Articles are available tomembers who may wish to peruse them at the Society's office, or elsewhereas may be convenient.

As was explained in the April issue of SACU NEWS, the first Annual GeneralMeeting of the incorporated Society has b.een arranged within this short periodafter incorporation in order to give members the earliest possible opportunityof exercising their rights in relation to the new Society. At the meeting, thosemembers of the existing Council of Management who are willing to continueto serve and have been duly nominated, will come up for election, along withother candidates as may be nominated. There will also be an opportunity fordiscussion of SACU policy, in relation to the draft resolution submitted by theCouncil (the text of which was published in SACU NEWS, April Issue).

The Council realise that members of the Society have not yet been consultedon the question of the Constitution, since it is not practicable for theMemorandum and Articles of a Company to be approved by every member ofa large .existing Society prior to its incorporation. However, it is intended thatat the Annual General Meeting there shall be an opportunity for a generaldiscussion on the Constitution so that the Council may have the benefit ofmembers' views thereon. No formal changes in the Constitution can be madeat this Meeting, but it may, if necessary, be amended by an ExtraordinaryGeneral Meeting, of which at least 2] days' notice is required.

The Council hope that the AGM will not be merely an occasion for thetransaction of formal business, but will in itself make a positive contributionto the work of the Society. To this end, we are endeavouring to arrange for arecent visitor to China to speak after the formal business of the Meeting Isconcluded.

With this issue of SACU NEWS you will also receive an agenda for themeeting and a draft Form of Adherence. Please sign the latter and if, as wehope, you can come to the Meeting, bring it with you to serve as your credentials.If you have joined after the Society was incorporated on 4 April, 1966, youneed only bring your membership card as credentials.

Yours sincerely,

DEREK BRYAN.

atomic bomb unless the atomic bombis used on her territory. These state-ments can be vouched for.

The leaders of the People's Republicof China today are engaged upon build-ing up their country for peace, andnothing could have struck greatersorrow upon the Chinese than whenthe news came through from Englandin May, 1965, that the Labour Partywas wholly on the side of Americain their warlike policies in Vietnamand the views which America heldagainst the Vietnamese.

I am not speaking from a littleexperience only, but after very con-siderable contacts with China over thelast ten years and having visited Chinafour times, when I came in touch withMao Tse-tung, Chou En-iai, and manyof the most important Governmentpersons. All this has taught me thatpresent-day American policy againstChina is driven against one thing andone thing only, and that is to containcommunism. And, after, if that werepossible, to absorb the rich lands ofChina and their industrious peopleunto themselves.

Book ReviewsI Stayed in China, by William G.

Sewell, Allen & Unwin Ltd., 25s.AT THE BEGINNING of the war MrSew.ell was teaching chemistry atDulaing University in Szechuan Prov-ince. He was interned by the Japanese,returned to Dulaing after the war andremained until 1952. He thus witnessedthe birth of a new way of life in arather remote part of China.

What distinguishes his book frommany others is the wholehearted wayin which he shared the lives of hisChinese students and identified him-self with their problems. There was aconstant ferment of protest againstKuomintang corruption and oppression,which among the students often tookthe form of underground or semi-underground activity. The writer al-lowed his house to be used both asmeeting place and hiding place andwhen inflation was at its height herefused his salary, paid from abroad,and accepted the same as his Chinesecolleagues.

After liberation he became one of aclosely-knit group that includedstudents and a university worker pre-viously considered a menial. Here heexperienced the pleasure of sharingand discussing ideas and the sometimesbitter pains of creating new men andwomen.

Thanks to his ability to discardEuropean conventions he was also ableto strengthen his ties with his studentsand fellow-workers and enrich his ownlife. Sometimes he was dubious aboutthe methods used, but he never hadthe arrogance to believe that he wasmore likely to know the truth thananother and he persisted in thinkingthat the Chinese were entitled tomanage their own affairs and to workout their own way forward.

He took part in, and benefited from,the great movement of criticism andself-criticism, recognising that itbrought about a unity that, far fromdestroying individuality, ' enabled thepersonality of the individual to flower '.

This is a profoundly human bookthat should be read several times. Onedoes not wonder that, when Mr SeweMregretfully decided that he must re-turn to Britain, he was given suchaffectionate farewells or that, on thelong journey to Canton and HongKong, he still found himself amongfriends. ' It was more like a familyaffair—greeting with happiness a newlydiscovered relative—than a brief mo-ment in the life of a stranger/

C.T.P.

Through the Bamboo Curtain, byBeryl Grey. Collins, London, 1965, 30s.Illustrated.

' THE ATMOSPHERE WAS warm,friendly, and unhurried. Suddenly I feltimmensely relieved that in this firstencounter with the Chinese on theirown soil we should feel relaxed andat ease so quickly.

I had feared that working with apeople whose outlook on life might becompletely different from our ownwould be a great strain. Talkingthrough interpreters naturally compli-cates things. But these people spoke tous with such sympathetic interest andgentle courtesy that 1 felt it was goingto be all right after all. 1 had the feel-ing then, and it grew later, that theChinese have a way of tuning in toone's thoughts and emotions.'

This unpretentious and very readablebook describes a five-week visit toChina by the author and her Swedishhusband (whose excellent photographsboth embellish and illuminate the nar-rative) in the spring of 1964. WhileDr Svensen looked at some of China'snew hospitals and observed the prac-tice of acupuncture, his wife, one ofBritain's best-loved ballerinas, workedwith the young Chinese ballet com-pany. She writes in a straightforwardand transparently honest way of herexperiences, and it is clear that thecontact was a most fruitful one.

Miss Grey's observation of Chinawas sympathetic, but by no meansuncritical. She was sometimes exas-perated by the insistence on politics,even high up on the Great Wall anddown in the tombe of the MingEmperor Wan Li. But her own under-standing of what the Chinese are at-tempting, and of what they are achiev-ing, in their country today is of theessence of politics, which, in Dr SunYat-sen's words, are everybody's busi-ness. D.B.

Library HoursTHE LIBRARY at Head is now opento SACU members at the followingtimes: Mondays 6 to 8 pm; Tuesdays2 to 5 pm; Wednesdays 10 to 5 pm;and Thursdays 7 to 9 pm.

Further donations of modern bookson China published in Britain are stillneeded. We also need more copies ofbooks already in the library so thatthe lending section can be enlarged.

Society for Anglo-Chinese Understand-ing (Founded 15 May 1965).

Office: 24 Warren Street, London W.ITelephone EUSton 0074-5

Telegrams ANGCHIN London W.I

Chairman: Dr Joseph Needham

Deputy-Chairman:Professor Joan Robinson

Vice-Chairman: Mrs Mary Adams

Chairman of General Purposes Com-mittee: Mr Ernest Roberts

Secretary: Mr Derek Bryan

Council of Management : Mrs MaryAdams, Mr Peter de Francia, Mr AlecHorsley, Dr N Kurti, Dr E R Lap-wood, Mr Jim Mortimer, Dr JosephNeedham, the Rt Hon P J Noel-Baker,MP, Professor E G Pulleybank, MissVanessa Redgrave, Mr Ernest Roberts,Professor Joan Robinson, Sir GordonSutherland, Mr Peter Swann, ProfessorGeorge Thomson, Mr Jeremy Thorpe,MP, Professor Hugh Trevor-Roper,Dame Joan Vickers, MP, Professor K WWedderburn.

Believing that understanding be-tween Britain and China is of thehighest importance, SACU aims tomake information about China widelyavailable in order to help every in-terested person in Britain to makehis or her own assessment.

Membership of SACU is open to allwho subscribe to the aims of theSociety. Members are entitled to re-ceive SACU NEWS monthly free ofcharge, use the library at head office,call upon the Society for informationand participate in all activities of theSociety.

Annual subscription: £1.0.0 Reducedrates (5s.) for old age pensioners andfull-time students.

SACU NEWS is published by theSociety for Anglo-Chinese Under-standing, 24 Warren St, London,W.I. (EUSton 0074-5), and printedby Goodwin Press Ltd. (TU). 135Fontnill Road, London, N.4.