Yili District Party Committee, 'Outline of the Investigation on Several Issues in Pastoral Area Work'

Outline of the Investigation on Several Issues in Pastoral Area Work

The inaugural Northwestern Region Minority Committee Meeting will be held this fall. The important topics will be the following:

1- Review the interim outcomes of working in the spirit of the Central Committee’s Minority Work Meeting as well as that of the inaugural Northwestern Region Minority Work Meeting. Review resolutions for the problems encountered by the Chinese Communist Party during implementation of minority policies.

2- Emphasize discussions of economic recovery work in the rural areas and overall issues pertaining to construction (including rural commune issues). In order to adequately prepare for this meeting, you must frame the second question within the following guidelines, and observe them while presenting the investigations from each area.

I- The basic situation in the rural peoples’ communes and differing opinions on the commune system.

i- Is the size of the commune/platoon appropriate for their given product? What size does the public think is appropriate? What is your opinion?

ii- Are all the herders’ tending and breeding methods effective? How do you think they could improve?

iii- How have the returns been these past seven years on commune members’ livestock being converted into cash? What percentage of their total value? Where have the funds been collected for these returns? What are some issues? How do commune members feel about this? How should it be done from now on?

II- The situation with livestock breeding.

i- Over the past few years, has the amount of livestock gone up or down? If it has gone down, then for what reason? What should we do from now on?

ii- Has the quality of livestock gone up over the past years, or down? What problems exist in quality enrichment work? How can we adjust?

iii- How is pasture land being used, preserved, and managed? What are some issues? In the past few years there have been many disputes; what is the reason for this? What should be done from now on?

iv- Has veterinary work for livestock (including medicinal provisions) become stronger or weaker these past few years? Why? How should we adjust in the future?

v- What are some problems facing grasslands construction? In order to more effectively push forward the development of livestock production, what do you think should be constructed in the grasslands? Are there any goals you have in mind that you need the country’s help to achieve?

III- Questions about combining farming with stockbreeding.

How is situation these past several years? What are the issues? How should we proceed from now on? What should the strategy be from now on for developing agriculture in the rural areas?

3- Questions about peoples’ livelihood in the rural areas.

I- What are some of the issues with peoples’ livelihoods these past few years? What are the herders’ opinions? How should they be resolved in the coming years?

II- What is the current situation with commune members who privately own livestock? How much does each household have, roughly? Of these, how many are milk cows? How many are goats? Are there horses for riding? What sorts of opinions do low-level cadres and commune members have?

III- Is there household industry among the herders? What percentage of yearly earnings do these side jobs represent for the average family? What are some issues in this case? How can they be resolved?

In your investigations, all areas must bear in mind the following.

1- You must ‘seek truth from facts,’ correctly reflecting situations and problems.

2- You must examine clearly the events of the past years and make a detemination based on historical developments.

3- Your announcements following the investigations should be edited around the main topic. Strive to fill them with honest materials, objective situations, clear questions and simple wording.

4- During your investigations, do not follow the restrictions of these guidelines too rigidly. You may add investigative content according to the facts of your particular region.

Yili District Party Committee

3 August 1962