Peasant Society and Marxist Intellectuals in China Peasant Society and Marxist Intellectuals in China Fang Zhimin and the Origin of a Revolutionary Movement in the Xinjiang Region KAMAL SHEEL Princeton University Press Princeton, New Jersey Copyright © 1989 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, NewJersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Oxford Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sheel, Kamal, 1950- Peasant society and Marxist intellectuals in China : Fang Zhimin and the origin of a revolutionary movement in the Xinjiang region / Kamal Sheel. p. cm. Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN 0-691-05571-8 1. Communism—China—Kiangsi Province—History. 2. Fang, Chih-min, 1900-1935. 3. Communists—China—Biography. 4. Peasant uprisings—China—Kiangsi Province—History. I. Title. HX420.K5S47 1989 335.43'45'0951222—dcl9 88-37476 CIP This book has been composed in Linotron Janson Clothbound editions of Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. Paperbacks, although satisfactory for personal collections, are not usually suitable for library rebinding Printed in the United States of America by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey To my parents Contents List of Tables ix Preface xi One The Xinjiang Region 3 Two Impact of the Taiping Rebellion on Rural Areas in the Xinjiang Region 22 Three New Pressures on Small Rural Cultivators: Imperialism, the State, and the Small-Peasant Economy 42 Four The Landed Upper Class and the Crisis of Paternalism 66 Five Exploitation, Protests, and Uprisings 91 Six Fang Zhimin: The Rise of a Revolutionary Peasant Leader 136 Seven The United Front in Jiangxi: Urban Forces and the Organization of the Peasant Association Movement, 1924—1927 172 Eight From Peasant Movement to Communist Revolution: Revolutionary Intellectuals and Peasants in the Xinjiang Region 193 Nine Conclusion 231 References 243 Index 255 Tables 3.1 Tea Exported from Jiangxi and Its Prices, 1863-1921 50 3.2 Tea Exported from Jiujiang, 1921-1935 50 5.1 Percentage of Tenants in Each Type of Rent System in the 1930s 103 5.2 Frequency of Disasters in Jiangxi Province, 1847-1910 107 5.3 Major Peasant Rebellions in Districts of Jiangxi, 1900-1911 118 7.1 Number and Total Membership of Peasant Associations in Jiangxi, October 1926 175