ABSTRACT
The State Planning Commission (SPC) was established in November 1952, according to the Soviet model of the centrally planned economy. Planning theory, planning methods, planning content, and planning organizations were all copied; even the planning tables were imported from the Soviet Union. The SPC oversees the work of the various economic ministries with which it has a "professional leadership relationship". Thus, each specialized section in the SPC directly interacts with a counterpart specialized ministry or subordinate bureau of the State Council. The Central Finance and Economics Leading Group (FELG) was established in 1954, with Chen Yun as the head. During the Cultural Revolution the group was suspended; responsibility for economic work was undertaken by Zhou Enlai and Yu Qiuli. Over the past forty years, the successive heads of the SPC have always been important members of the Central FELG, and struggles over the leadership of the SPC have always reflected struggles over the political line within the party.
