ABSTRACT
In China, the two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are especially advanced in industry and commerce, and for this reason it is easy for people to recognize the importance of workers and merchants there. But few recognize the importance of the peasants of these two provinces, and most people believe that since these two provinces are peaceful and prosperous the peasants do not suffer much. In fact, such a view is totally superficial and shows no understanding whatsoever of the actual conditions in the peasant villages of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. We carried out an investigation into the actual conditions in the peasant villages in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and discovered that the real situation is completely the opposite of what had been conjectured. The following description of the concrete facts in various xian constitutes only a very small portion of the materials we have recently gathered, but it is sufficient to prove that the peasantry of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is certainly not as stable and prosperous and free from suffering as most people imagine.
