K. This is the 1st working draft of vol. VI. It still ... - From Marx to Mao

ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE ANTI-JAPANESE WAR
Border Region has expanded, the acreage of cotton planted has
grown, and the amount of livestock has increased. Moreover, the
real totals are more than those shown in the statistical table. As a
result much of the formerly uncultivated land has become productive.
For example, there are now more than a hundred households
in Erjiachuan and all the land of the area has been cultivated. Wuyasi
and Zhangjiacha are now both fully inhabited. In the past, all eleven
districts in Yanan county had unused land. At present only Jinpen
and Liulin Districts, half the Central District, and one township in
Yaodian District have uncultivated land. In 1939, there were only
about 300,000 mou of ploughed land in Yanan. In 1942, there were
699,538 mou. There used to be a lot of uncultivated land in the coun-
FROM MARX
TO MAO
ties of Ansai, Anding, Yanchuan, and Yanchang. Now there is very
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little. Before 1940, the Border Region bought grain from Luochuan
County and east of the Yellow River. Now, not only, is it unnecessary
to buy grain from outside, there is even some surplus grain
which is exported to the region of Yulin. Some people have moved
here from other areas, livestock has increased, but we do not feel a
shortage of grain. In the light of all these facts there is no longer
any doubt that the Border Region can be self-supporting in grain.
Cotton-growing has not only again reached its pre-revolutionary
peak, but has also developed. For example, the districts of
Yongping, Yongsheng NOT and Yuju in Yanchuan FOR County did not previously
grow cotton. Now they have all started growing it. The same
is true of Yanan. The profit from cotton is greater than the profit
from grain. The return COMMERCIAL
from 1 mou of cotton is on average 700 yuan
or more, whereas if grain were planted the return would only be 200
yuan. The ratio is thus 3:1. In 1939, the area planted to cotton was
only just over 3,700 mou. In 1942 it was more than 94,000 mou,
and the quantity DISTRIBUTION
produced reached 1,400,000 jin. This was a great
achievement. However, the amount needed by the Border Region is
3 million jin. This is our future task.
The increase in livestock has also been very rapid. For example,
in 1937 there were only about 8,000 sheep in Yanan. Now there are
more than 60,000. In 1937, there were only 70,000 sheep in Huachi,
now there are more than 120,000. Before the land revolution, there
were only five flocks of sheep in Zhangjiahe of Third Township,
Dongyang District, Yanchuan County. (There was no grazing land
and there could only be thirty to fifty head in each flock.) Now
there are thirteen flocks. Oxen and donkeys have increased by al-
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