Concealing Production and Private Distribution

In the 1950s, the state was able to integrate a rural society with millions of scattered farmers into the national system, largely relying on the control of agricultural resources. Through the “unified purchase and sale” policy, the state endowed agricultural products, mainly grain, with national characteristics, thereby promoting the concentration of economic and social power in the state and strengthening farmers’ identification with the state. Additionally, farmers working as producers were no longer seen as the sovereigns of agricultural products. However, farmers expressed their interest in practices such as “concealing production and private distribution.” This “resistance of the powerless” prompted changes in state policy. This article aims to further outline the origin and driving mechanism of rural reform in China.