Page 6 - C.A.L.L. #33 - Winter 2010/2011

Life in one of China's last communes

In the village of Nanjie in northern China, workers begin the day by singing in praise of the
country's former leader Mao Zedong. More than three decades after his death, Chairman
Mao is still remembered fondly across China, but in Nanjie he has a special significance.
The village is one of the country's last remaining communes, where workers still abide by
many of the former chairman's principles.
Most communes were disbanded years ago as China's leaders began to turn the country's
planned economy into one governed by the market. But the Nanjie commune is still going
strong, providing its residents with their daily needs. Few people want to see it disappear.

Economic disaster

Mother-of-one Hu Xinhe is one of the
commune's 4,000 or so permanent residents.
"I feel very relaxed and secure living in
Nanjie. Whether we're talking about work or
life in general, I'm very satisfied," said the
34-year-old.
As China's Communist Party celebrates 60
years in power this week, it is emphasising
the country's bright future. But this
commune is a reminder that some people
Zunxian Huang, 71, is one of about 3,000 commune think the past had much to offer. Nanjie lies
members. He was assigned this three-bedroom
apartment and nearly all the furniture in it, down to in the rural heartland of Henan province.
the sofa cushions. Villagers have just harvested their crop of
corn, which is currently drying on roadsides
and in open spaces around Nanjie. The
commune also has a number of small food-processing factories that make products such as
beer, chocolate, hot sauce and noodles. Some noodles are even sold abroad - to Australia, the
US and Canada.

Collective ownership

But there are reminders that capitalist ventures are not the main goal. A statue of Mao takes
pride of place in the village square. It is flanked by giant posters of other communist
revolutionaries, such as Lenin and Stalin.
With its clean and tidy streets, Nanjie looks well-ordered and pleasant.
Communes were formed in the late 1950s as Chairman Mao tried to force rural people to live
a more communist way of life. Villagers had to pool their land, animals, tools and crops, and
work for the collective.

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