The "Learn from Dazhai in agriculture" Campaign (, or in Wade-Giles

Romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...

Tachai) was a campaign organized by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

in 1963. The campaign encouraged peasants from all over China to follow from the example of the farmers of

Dazhai Dazhai () is a village and former commune of several hundred farmers in Xiyang County in eastern Shanxi province, chiefly known for Mao Zedong's directive, "Learn from Dazhai in agriculture", which set up Dazhai as the model for agricultural prod ...

village,

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

, by practicing self-sacrifice and upright political activity. It grew in importance after the introduction of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, but Chen Yonggui and its other proponents were eventually eased out of power by

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...

following the removal of the

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

History

The Learn from Dazhai movement heavily emphasized self-reliance in rural development. This success of Dazhai peasants in building "socialist agriculture" -- including overcoming difficult conditions to terrace the land and build an irrigation system -- served as the inspiration for the movement. It was significant in

's model of development, which placed agriculture at the foundation of the economy because China had to be self-sufficient at feeding its people. Slogans associated with Dazhai included: "Move the mountains to make farm fields," "Change the sky and alter the land," "Work bitterly, diligently, and with extra energy, and build our village into a Dazhai-like one in three years." The movement boosted rural agricultural construction countrywide. During the years until the downfall of the

in 1976, particularly the

, farmers from all over the country were organized to visit Dazhai, and well-trained tour guides took posts at important scenes to explain to visitors how the villagers in Daizhai made such achievements with their own hands. One of such scenes was the top of the Tiger Head Mountain where visitors could have a panoramic view of the farm fields, the major irrigation projects as well as the residential area of the villagers. Perhaps hundreds of millions of farmers visited the place during the period and the expenses on their trips were paid by the government. At this time, farmers throughout China were expected to show their political zeal in following

's directive "Learn from Dazhai in agriculture" (""). They not only worked during the day, but at night as well, not only in the warm season, but in the depth of winter—a dramatic deviation from their age-old practice. In many places, the farmers literally—and blindly—moved hills (sometimes proclaimed as "mountains"), built reservoirs, tunnels, canals, and so on. As mental motivation, loudspeakers were installed at work sites to broadcast music and songs and films were shown at night on the scene while the farmers took a break. Meanwhile, a number of leaders of the village made dramatic advances in their political careers. Chen Yonggui, the patriarchal leader of the village, was elected to the Politboro in 1973, reelected in 1977, and named a vice premier of the central government. Guo Fenglian, the Dazhai party secretary, was a favorite of Jiang Qing (the wife of

) and played a significant part in the Chinese political scene. This campaign was as much political as it was agricultural, and it came to an abrupt end upon Mao's death in 1976. After the victory of

over

Hua Guofeng Hua Guofeng (; born Su Zhu; 16 February 1921 – 20 August 2008), alternatively spelled as Hua Kuo-feng, was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and Premier of the People's Republic of China. The desig ...

, Chen Yonggui, and others following the removal of the

from power, Deng's economic reforms caused Dazhai to become a figure of ridicule, since it was so closely linked to Maoist communal agriculture and socialist propaganda. Chen was removed from the State Council in 1980. Claims of great success for Dazhai methods were never confirmed at other farms, and the productivity statistics may have been fraudulent or erroneous. Today, Dazhai is a regional tourist attraction.

References

External links

Lu, "Dazhai: Imagistic Rhetoric as a Cultural Instrument Xin-An Lu"

Posters about Dazhai

Poster showing the slogan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Learn From Dazhai In Agriculture Campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party Slogans Maoist China propaganda 1960s in China History of agriculture in China History of Shanxi Jinzhong

History

See also

References

External links