The unexpected events in China during the spring of this year - the abrupt dismissal of Teng Hsiao-p'ing following his surprisingly rapid return to a position of power, and the accompanying demonstrations, apparently on his behalf, in the streets of Peking - necessitate at least an interim reassessment of political developments in the People's Republic over the course of the last several years. In the pages which follow I shall attempt to summarize domestic political events in China during the period August 1973 through April 1976, incorporating both those events which were made public at the time and those which have been revealed or subjected to re-interpretation subsequent to Teng's dismissal. During this summary and in the section which follows it, I shall review some of the interpretive and analytical literature. dealing with these political events, focusing this review particularly on the question of the appropriate ways to group participants in the political process in China for analytical purposes. In conclusion I shall attempt to explore the ways in which the material critical of Teng suggests that our interpretations of contemporary Chinese politics may need to be revised and our assessments of future trends may require alteration.

Some important documentation has been published in the Chinese press since the dismissal of Teng Hsiao-p'ing regarding the policies which he pursued during the preceding year. As might be expected this evidence is partial and fragmentary, but it does throw new light on recent events. In particular the material strongly suggests that Teng took to the offensive in 1975 against what he regarded as a widespread tendency of ultra-Leftism especially in the Party, in industry and education, and that the anti-Teng struggle in spring 1976 was therefore not unprQVpked. Whether the policies advocated by Teng amounted to “restoring capitalism,” and whether the contradiction between the two lines was in fact “antagonistic,” is of course another question. This research note is simply designed to bring the story up to date for readers of The China

The delivery of the eulogy on Premier Chou En-lai by Vice-premier Teng Hsiaa-p'ing at the memorial service held in Peking on 15 January was described by one China-watching correspondent as “ an impressive demonstration that he is now in charge in China,” As is well known, that was the occasion of Teng’s last official appearance – last, this is, unless his career were to take one more unexpected turn. If subsequent developments caught that correspondent by surprise, he had much company – in official as well as in non-official circles. Indeed, well-placed commentators have asserted that on the occasion of his most recent visit to China, Dr Kissinger had been assured on the highest authority that Teng Hsiao-p’ing would remain in power after Chou En-lai’se xpected demise. Dr Kissinger’s trip to China took place in December 1975, the highest authority in China is Mao Tse-tung, and Dr Kissinger had accompanied President Ford on the occasion of his call on Chairman Mao.

A comprehensive analysis of the recent past must start with an understanding of the major, interrelated issues currently confronting China's leaders. These include- a wide range of economic, national security, and cultural concerns. Another key area involves personnel management. Were the officials removed during the Cultural Revolution justly treated or ought their verdicts be reversed? If so, should all officials be returned or just some? And which ones? More generally, should a regular promotion ladder be established, or should young, exuberant but inexperienced cadres continue to be rapidly, promoted, as during 1966–69? Should service in the bureaucracy and exit from it be made more predictable? This essay focuses on vthe origins and implications of these personnel issues. For, while other issues have also been important, crucial points of debate and struggle since 1969 have been over the rehabilitation of cadres who were removed during the Cultural Revolution and over the role to be assigtfcd to those who rose to power at their expense.

The first part of this article consisted of a documentary analysis of the implementation of land reform in North and South Kiangsu between 1949 and 1952. What emerged most strikingly were the contradictions inherent in the multiple objectives of the institutional changes taking place and the impossibility of disassociating their economic and non-economic consequences. Specifically, the requirements of restoring production in the industrial sector, where many enterprises were under the control of landlords, while simultaneously redistributing landlords' agricultural land and other resources, gave rise to a serious dilemma which was reflected in different policy emphases during the campaign. Even if this dilemma could have been resolved, there remained a further contradiction: between the social and political desirability of allocating the maximum amount of land to the poorest peasants and the economic benefits to be gained from allowing the middle peasants to share in the fruits of expropriation. The situation was also complicated by the need to protect the efficient rich peasant economy, even at the expense of encouraging “capitalist” development.

On 30 September 1954 an article criticizing Yü P’ing-po’s “ Hung lou meng chien-lun” appeared in the Wen-yi pao. 10 days later an article highly critical of Yü’s Hung lou meng yen-chiu, a revised edition of that scholar’s earliest work on the novel, Hung lou meng pien appeared in the Kuang-ming jih-pao. With the publication of these two articles by Li Hsi-fan and Lan Ling, recent graduates of Shantung University, the first attack in over 30 years was launched on what Mao Tse-tung at the time termed “the erroneous views of a so-called authoritative writer in the field of study of the Dream of the Red Chamber.”

This report is based on a visit to Hua-tung people's commune in Kwangtung province. The visit was arranged as part of the programme of the New York State Study Group on Modern China, which travelled in China during July 1973.