From Rent and Interest Reduction to the “May Fourth” Directive: Rent Reduction and the Settling of Accounts during the Transitional Period – A Study Centered on Guo County in the Jin-Sui Border Region

Abstract Rent reduction and the settling of accounts was an essential pathway for the CCP ’s land policy to transition from the policy of rent and interest reduction to “land to the tiller.” It primarily involved peasants obtaining a certain amount of productive and living resources from those targeted in the settling of accounts. As the fruits of the settlement were distributed, subtle changes in land rights occurred among various social strata in certain areas and villages of Guo County, showing a trend of “stability in the middle, equality at both ends” 中间不动，两头平 . To be sure, during the process of rent reduction and the settling of accounts, the CCP had to face numerous challenges due to the low level of peasants’ ideological consciousness, interference from hostile forces, and poor attitudes and work styles of cadres. However, with effective policy measures, the movement in Guo County achieved significant success. Peasants experienced a dual economic and political liberation to a certain extent, greatly stimulating their enthusiasm for production and for enlistment in the army. Meanwhile, the ranks of the CCP were tempered through this struggle, accumulating valuable experience for the implementation of subsequent land reform policies.