N. Kurmyshev, Secretary of the Consulate General of the USSR In Urumqi, ‘Report on Strengthening the United People's Democratic Front and Advancing Socialist Transformation in Xinjiang’

CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE USSR IN URUMQI

SECRET

Copy No.3

27 November 1958 

No. 61

[Stamp: 40479]

[Handwritten: “38”] 

[Handwritten: “China”] 

WORK ON STRENGTHENING THE UNITED PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT IN THE XUAR

/Brief/

In conditions of the autonomous region where there are no democratic political parties and groups, the Unified People's Democratic Front brings together representatives from various segments of the multiethnic population, progressive figures of the clergy and tribal authorities who have significant influence among the people, as well as representatives of public organizations.

According to the statement of the deputy chairman of the Permanent Committee of the People's Political Consultative Council of the autonomous region, Mukhamedzhan Nabiev, currently, within the organs of the PPCC of various degrees, which serve as the organizational basis of the united front, there is a whole range of public organizations of the autonomous region: the Democratic Federation of Women, the Association of Traders and Industrialists, the Muslim League, the Association of Writers and Artists, as well as representatives of all nationalities and segments of the population residing in the autonomous region.

The Democratic Federation of Women is playing an important political role in involving women in socialist development and encouraging their participation in the political and social aspects of the country. The Federation operates on a collective membership model. All women working in factories, plants, agricultural cooperatives, and institutions with women's committees under trade union organizations are considered members of it. The Federation is governed by a board of 72 individuals, including representatives from various nationalities and population segments in the autonomous region.

[Handwritten: “For archiving.

The informational material has been used in the work. 

/Signature/  /Signature/

Section Head, Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, I. Shcherbanov.

28 February 1959

2 March 1959”]

Over the years following the liberation, the role of women in production and in the political, state, and social life of the country has significantly increased. 

Results from the inspection of 3,630 agricultural production cooperatives in 57 districts of the autonomous region revealed that women constitute 46.3% of the total workforce in these cooperatives. In 681 livestock cooperatives, there were 31,338 women, accounting for 46.6% of all cooperative members. With the organization of communes, their percentage has notably increased. Before the liberation, hardly any women worked as workers or officials. Now, women are employed in all industrial sectors and work in various institutions. At a silk factory in Hotan alone, 1,200 women work, constituting 95% of the factory's workforce. Women actively participate in the political and social life of the region. In county-level and higher level assemblies women represent 16.25% of the total number of the people’s deputies. Three women have been elected as members of the People's Committee of XUAR, and one woman has been elected to the XUAR Party Committee. In 1957, three women from the autonomous region were elected as deputies to the All-China People's Assembly. Last year, more than 13,000 women worked in various institutions and public organizations in the region. 

The Association of Traders and Industrialists is actively engaged in organizational and educational work among the trade and industrial circles.

The Association of Traders and Industrialists of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was established in 1955. By the end of 1957, association branches had been set up in 64 districts and populated areas of the autonomous region. The association has dual membership – collective and individual. Currently, throughout the autonomous region, the association of traders and industrialists includes 61,109 families or 76,732 individuals. By the end of 1957, various association organizations had counted more than 42,000 individual members. The majority of association members are small traders and industrialists with extremely limited means. Primarily, these are traders with small shops, stall vendors, and craftsmen.

Various organizations, with different levels of association, supported party and state organs in implementing socialist transformations in private trade and industry, in socialist and ideological re-education of private traders and industrialists, in employing criticism and doing away with their political mistakes. As a result of certain educational work and fear of falling into disfavor with the state authorities, the overwhelming majority of former traders and industrialists did not resist the implementation of socialist transformations in private trade and industry and cooperated with the authorities. By the end of 1957, 83.3% of all traders and industrialists in the autonomous region had joined state-private enterprises and trade-industrial cooperatives.

One of the most important issues for the work of the United People's Democratic Front is the implementation of the party's policy on religious issues, engaging religious leaders and authorities in supporting the people's government, and strengthening influence over the broad masses through them. Over 4.5 million people, which is 86.85% of the total population in the autonomous region, follow the Islamic faith, and the influence of religion, as well as religious leaders, on them is still very significant. The situation is further complicated by the merging of religious customs with national customs, making it challenging to distinguish between the two.

The party organs and the organs of people's government in the autonomous region have a policy of cooperation with the higher clergy through a united front, attracting the most progressive representatives of the clergy to participate in the work of the People's Political Consultative Council and provide them with material support.

A significant effort is being made by the party leaders to involve clergy in production and alter their attitudes towards labor.

Around 70% of the clergy in rural areas, approximately 35-37 thousand individuals, are members of agricultural production cooperatives and actively participate in physical labor. Currently, they are members of the people's communes.

Religious officials are taken on special excursions to Central China to acquaint them with the advancements made in socialist construction in China. 

Religious delegations are led by responsible party workers and travel annually from the autonomous region through Beijing to Mecca. 

The people’s government authorities provide material assistance to the religious servants in need. 

At the same time, party organizations work on winning the support of wavering representatives of the clergy for the people's government while isolating the counter-revolutionary faction of the clergy that disagrees with the existing regime and opposes socialist transformations.

Due to the party's successful stance on religious issues, a considerable number of the clergy have chosen to support the policies of the government and the party. Specifically, 15% of the clergy, representing its progressive segment, work closely with the people’s government. 

To ensure the guidance of the clergy's activities and control the proper implementation of the religious policy, the Religious Affairs Department was established under the People's Committee of the Autonomous Region, and is receiving subsidies from the state. 

In 1957-58, party organs directed their attention towards further expanding the United Front and strengthening its organizational foundation – the People's Political Consultative Council.

The PPCC has established organizations in the cities of Urumqi, Kuldja, and Kashgar, covering all administrative and autonomous districts, as well as in 85 counties of the autonomous region.

Considerable effort has been focused on the expansion of the membership of the PPCC organizations by including representatives from a wide range of individuals, particularly those who may be weak in their political development but still have the right to representation and possess influence in certain segments of the population. As per the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the PPCC of the Autonomous Region, Mukhamedzhan Nabiev, representatives of 16 different ethnic groups participate in the PPCC organs. The Communist Party of China (CPC) holds the dominant role in the PPCC organs. Usually, the members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) hold leadership positions in the leading bodies of the Political Consultative Conference (PPCC). For instance, the Secretary of the Party Committee of XUAR, Liu Jianxun, serves as the deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of the PPCC of the Autonomous Region. Saifuddin Azizi and other responsible party members are also members of the Standing Committee.

The Party Committee of the autonomous region has developed and implemented representation norms in the PPCC at various levels, establishing specific rules for membership admission to prevent the possibility of infiltration by hostile elements. According to the directive issued by the Party Committee of XUAR on 28 February, 1957, the number of members in the Standing Committee of the PPCC for the Autonomous Region should be around 200 people. The number of members in the Standing Committees of the PPCC in the cities of Urumqi, Kuldja, Kashgar, and in the autonomous districts is set at 65-70 people, while in county committees, it ranges from 30-45 people.

The admission of members to the PPCC is only done after the discussion and approval of candidates by the respective party committees. 

In order to increase the reach of the United People's Democratic Front and make it more influential among the general public, the party is actively involving activists from various segments of the population in the work of PPCC organizations, forming working groups from them. The permanent committees of the PPCC in the autonomous region have functioning groups of activists, including technical workers, religious leaders, cultural and educational workers, national groups, and others. Similar groups can also be found in other committees. They study the feelings and needs of their communities, report this information to the PPCC and carry out educational activities based on their instructions, develop and submit proposals related to various political, economic, and social issues in the autonomous region for discussion in the PPCC organizations.

The PPCC organizations' primary form of activity is through the general meetings of the PPCC members. The general meetings of the PPCC members in the autonomous region are held at least once and no more than twice per year. Meetings of members of county PPCC organizations are convened 2-4 times a year, depending on the specific situation.

Meetings of members of the Standing Committee of the PPCC in the autonomous region are held once a month and no less than once every two months, while meetings of members of district and county Standing Committees are held once a month.

The work of the PPCC organizations at various levels is directly supervised by the United Front branches within the corresponding-level party committees. Lower-level PPCC organizations are not subordinate to higher-level ones.

The United People's Democratic Front is actively engaged in strengthening national unity, fostering patriotism among the general public, mobilizing various segments of the population to actively participate in important initiatives by the party and government, and encouraging involvement in the economic and cultural development of the autonomous region. A significant aspect of the United People's Democratic Front's work involves the campaign to improve the work ethic and fight against right-wing elements.

To engage the broad non-party masses in this campaign and win their support in the struggle against right-wing elements, the United Front branch of the party committee in the autonomous region conducted interviews with democratic representatives of all nationalities and population groups in the city of Urumqi from 21 May to 31 June of this year. A total of 219 individuals participated in the interviews, including 138 Chinese and 81 individuals from local ethnic groups. The interviews were conducted by workers from the XUAR party committee, including secretaries, department heads, and other responsible party members. Wang Enmao and Saifuddin Azizi also participated in the interviews.

Following the directive of the party committee, similar interviews and seminars with non-party members were organized extensively across all institutions and enterprises in the autonomous region. During these seminars, numerous comments and suggestions were voiced for improving work ethic and correcting mistakes and deficiencies. Free discussions were held on the two paths of development – socialist and capitalist, emphasizing the advantages of the socialist system over the capitalist one. Concrete facts were presented to expose the true nature of the rightist elements and reveal their criminal actions. As a result, the overwhelming majority of democratic elements condemned the actions of the rightist elements, and the latter found themselves isolated.

The implementation of the movement aimed at improving work ethic and socialist education among trade and industrial circles played a significant role in strengthening the United People's Democratic Front. In 1956, during the implementation of socialist transformations in XUAR, thanks to the party's correct policy of peaceful transformation, the tasks of socialist transformation of capitalist private trade and industry with respect to the ownership of the means of production were successfully accomplished. At that time, private traders and industrialists accepted socialist transformations but were dissatisfied, hoping for free trade, and they just waited for the right moment to voice their demands. After the movement to improve work ethic among traders and industrialists began in 1958, there were various reactionary incidents against the party and government policies. They spread false information from rightist elements, opposed party leadership, and targeted representatives of the state in state-private mixed enterprises, some traders and industrialists incited workers and employees against them. Some individuals took advantage of the situation by leaving mixed enterprises or cooperative stores and engaging in private trade. Some intentionally exaggerated deficiencies in work, dismissed the successes of socialist construction, and attempted to foment anti-socialist sentiments. During the Third Extended Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Associations of Traders and Industrialists, Yun Sun, who is the Deputy Head of the United Front branch of the party committee in the autonomous region, speaking about the position of traders and industrialists, stated: “Apart from a small number of leftists, the vast majority of traders and industrialists have not changed their previous political stance.” This indicates that not enough attention was given to the issues of ideological re-education of private traders and industrialists until recently.

In light of the current situation, on 15 February, 1958, the party committee of the autonomous region issued a directive initiating a movement for enhancing work ethic and expanding socialist education among trade and industrial circles[1]. According to the party committee's directive, the movement for streamlining work ethic among traders and industrialists was divided into four main stages: 1) General organizational preparation, involving lectures and presentations, studying documents, collecting materials, and training activists. 2) Unfolding the movement “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.” 3) Conducting general discussions on key issues and launching a counterattack against the rightists. 4) Correcting work ethic and improving methods.

In the autonomous region, over 80% of all private traders and industrialists are representatives of national minorities. Therefore, the main emphasis during the movement to improve work ethic and socialist education among traders and industrialists has been on combating local nationalism. The primary struggle against local nationalism among traders and industrialists took place during the Third Extended Plenum of the Second Session of the Executive Committee of the Association of Traders and Industrialists of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The plenum began on 19 June and lasted until 16 September, 1958. The plenum was attended by 125 committee members and representatives of the local association branches from different areas. The plenum adopted a resolution “On the deployment of the movement to streamline work ethic among trade and industrial circles in the autonomous region, the central task of which is the fight against local nationalism.”

During the plenum, a group of local nationalists (7 individuals) who held leadership positions in the Association of Traders and Industrialists and were led by the association's chairman, Mamet Niyaz Kari, was exposed. The right-wing member, Wei Zhi-shan, was also exposed during the plenum. 

The resolution that was adopted at the plenum clearly stated that the reactionary actions and activities of the nationalist group, which were carried out under the disguise of "protecting national interests", were actually aimed at advocating for the division of the country's unity. These actions were also directed against the socialist transformations of party leadership and against national cohesion. Former owner of a leather factory in Kuldja and the largest livestock industrialist in Xinjiang, Abliz Musabayev, made a statement, “Historically, Xinjiang has been an independent state, with the Great Wall as its border.” Speaking against the party's policies, he said, “Reducing rent, combating despotic landlords, as well as movements against the Three and Five Evils conducted in Xinjiang are wrong, and have resulted in harm to many innocent people.”

Mamet Niyaz Kari, attempting to discredit the party's policy aimed at the peaceful transformation of private trade and industry, consistently declared, “Representatives of the state only understand theory and know nothing about business, they hate employees of the private sector and do not trust them.” 

Mocking the movement for the streamlining of work ethic and expressing sympathy for local nationalists, he stated, “Don't worry, streamlining the work ethic is just a passing wind.” 

Executive committee member of the Autonomous Region Association, Turdy Hadji, openly expressed his opposition towards the Han population who arrived in Xinjiang to participate in socialist construction, and made false accusations against the production army by claiming that “it solely consists of people collecting manure.” Using mass meetings, he spread anti-party and anti-socialist views, and openly opposed tax policies.

The exposed at the plenum rightist Wei Zhi-shan openly opposed party leadership, attempting to weaken the party's influence. Trying to diminish the party's impact, he consistently juxtaposed the “Organization for Democratic Construction,” which he led. 

The plenum strongly condemned the local nationalists and rightist groups that were exposed. In order to protect state and national interests and maintain the integrity of the association of traders and industrialists’ organizations while transforming it into a powerful political force that serves the interests of socialism, organizational conclusions were made about the exposed nationalists. The plenum decided to demote Niyaz Kari from the position of the Chairman of the Association of Traders and Industrialists of XUAR to the position of a Vice-Chairman, reduced his salary, and suggested removing him from the delegates of the National People's Congress, permanent members of the All-China Association of Traders and Industrialists, and delegates of the Congress of People's Deputies of XUAR, but to retain him as a member of the PPCC in the autonomous region.

The plenum's decision removed Abliz Musabaev from the members of the Permanent Committee of the Association but retained him as a member of the Executive Committee. The plenum suggested removing him from the Executive Committee of the All-China Association of Traders and Industrialists, permanent members of the Association of Traders and Industrialists in the city of Urumqi, members of the PPCC in the city of Urumqi, and relieving him of his position as a deputy director of the industrial company in the autonomous region.

Turdy Hadji was removed from the Executive Committee of the Associations of Traders and Industrialists of the Autonomous Region, relieved of his position as the Deputy Chairman of the Association in the City of Kashgar, and removed from his post as the deputy director of a wholesale warehouse in the City of Kashgar.

Wei Zhi-shan, the right-wing member, has been dismissed from his post of Deputy Chairman of the Trade and Industrial Association and expelled from the members of the Executive Committee of the All-China Association of Traders and Industrialists, removed from the delegates of the People's Congress of the Autonomous Region, from the members of the PPCC of the Autonomous Region, and from the members of the Permanent Committee of the Trade and Industrial Association of the City of Urumqi.

In conclusion, all local organizations, associations of traders, and industrialists were required by the plenum to actively combat local nationalism as per the resolution of the extended Party Committee Plenum of the autonomous region. After the liberation, the Unified Front organizations worked hard to attract broad non-party masses to the side of the people's government. They systematically explained the policies of the party and government to various segments of the public in the field of socialist transformations, emphasizing the crucial importance of socialist changes in the economic and cultural construction of the country and the roles different population segments should play in this important endeavor. As a result of the party’s and government's efforts, they gained the support of the majority of the population and have successfully moved forward. By the end of 1957, over 95% of all peasant households had joined higher-level cooperatives, and currently, 98% of all households are part of communes. The majority of bourgeois elements among former traders and industrialists have embarked on the path of collaboration with the people's government in mixed enterprises and became the employees of state-private and some state enterprises.

Significant efforts have been made to reeducate bourgeois intellectuals and cultivate a new intelligentsia from the working class. 

There are still some shortcomingsin the work of the United People's Democratic Front,  that the party is actively working to eliminate. Some PPCC organizations carry out their work irregularly in certain areas, they fail to adequately respond to the requests and demands of the public, and some lack appointed leadership personnel. Certain PPCC organizations lack permanent locations and are forced to operate in random, unsuitable spaces.

In conclusion, it can be stated that in 1958, significant effort was made to strengthen organizations within the Unified Front and free them from hostile anti-socialist elements. 

The Unified Front's organizations have significantly strengthened through the reinforcement of their party cadres.

As a result of the movement to reform the work ethic, the right-wing elements and local nationalists were exposed and defeated. Their influence on the masses weakened, and conversely, the authority and influence of the Communist Party increased. 

SECRETARY OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE USSR IN URUMQI

/Signature/                   /N. Kurmyshev/

Printed 6 copies

1 – DIR MIA USSR

2 – USSR Embassy in China

3 – Department of CC Cde. Andropov

4 – UNI (in Russian “УНИ”)

5 – USSR Consulate in Kuldja

6 – to file

Exec. N. Kurmyshev

Print. N. Kurmyshev

27 November 1958 No. 58