The Standing Committee Meetings of the People’s Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic and Their Historical Functions

The Chinese Soviet Republic was the first attempt by the Communist Party of China to directly lead and comprehensively manage the state. Although it “was still far from a complete state form,” it nevertheless made valuable explorations in many respects. The *Constitutional Outline of the Chinese Soviet Republic* stipulated: “The highest organ of state power of the Chinese Soviet Republic is the All-China Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers (Soviets); during the intervals when the Congress is not in session, the Provisional Central Executive Committee of the All-China Soviets is the highest organ of state power; under the Central Executive Committee, the People’s Committee is organized to handle daily government affairs and to issue all decrees and resolutions.” [1]1 *Selected Important Documents Since the Founding of the Party (1921–1949)*, Vol. 8 (Beijing: Central Party Literature Press, 2011), p. 650. Thus, the People’s Committee became the central administrative organ of the Chinese Soviet Republic, bearing the important function of handling daily government affairs, and the Standing Committee Meetings of the People’s Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Standing Meetings”) were the important institution for handling daily government affairs. *Red China* was the official newspaper of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, first published in December 1931. On December 28, 1931, *Red China* publicly reported on the Third Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee, pioneering this type of coverage. Up to September 15, 1933, the newspaper reported on a total of 39 Standing Meetings. These reports reflect that the Standing Meetings, through resolving major matters, conducting inspection and examination work, and promulgating decrees and personnel appointments and removals, ensured that the Provisional Central Government carried out policy discussions and democratic decision-making, demonstrating the continuity, regularity, and stability of the Standing Meetings. This is very helpful for our understanding of the specific circumstances of our Party’s governance and administration during the Central Soviet Area period.

中华苏维埃共和国是中国共产党直接领导和全面管理国家的第一次尝试，尽管它“距离一个完全的国家形态还很远”，但仍在诸多方面作出了可贵的探索。《中华苏维埃共和国宪法大纲》规定：“中华苏维埃共和国之最高政权为全国工农兵会议（苏维埃）的大会，在大会闭会的期间，全国苏维埃临时中央执行委员会为最高政权机关，中央执行委员会下组织人民委员会处理日常政务，发布一切法令和决议案。”（《建党以来重要文献选编（1921—1949）》第八册，中央文献出版社2011年版，第650页）由此，人民委员会成为中华苏维埃共和国中央行政机关，具有处理日常政务的重要职能，人民委员会常务会议（以下简称“常会”）则是处理日常政务的重要制度。《红色中华》是中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府机关报，创刊于1931年12月。1931年12月28日，《红色中华》即公开报道人民委员会第三次常会，开创这一报道的先河。截至1933年9月15日，该报共报道常会39次。这些报道中反映了常会通过议决重大事项、巡视和检查工作及颁布法令和人事任免等，确保临时中央政府开展政策讨论和民主决策，体现出常会的连续性、规范性和稳定性，对于我们了解中央苏区时期我们党治国理政的具体情况很有帮助。

Resolving Major Matters

议决重大事项

The major matters resolved by the Standing Meetings involved many aspects, including the economy, public health, education, and military affairs. In early 1932 and 1933, the Standing Meetings successively called for carrying out epidemic prevention campaigns to protect the health of the workers and peasants and prevent the outbreak of plague in the spring. On January 12, 1932, the Standing Meeting discussed the epidemic prevention issue and “decided to launch a region-wide public health and epidemic prevention campaign.” [2]2 “The Fourth Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee of the Provisional Central Government,” *Red China*, January 13, 1932. The following year, on January 31, the Thirty-First Standing Meeting “instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a large-scale epidemic prevention campaign,” [3]3 “The Thirty-First and Thirty-Second Standing Meetings of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, February 10, 1933. reflecting the Soviet government’s concern for major social and livelihood issues. The Standing Meetings paid close attention to education, a typical example being matters concerning the Lenin Normal School. The Seventh, Eighth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-Second Standing Meetings all discussed and passed resolutions on it, covering issues such as budget, organization, curriculum, and teaching staff. On June 13, 1932, the Standing Meeting decided that the central authorities would establish the Lenin Normal School and that Xu Teli, the Minister of Education of the central authorities, would serve as its principal, fully demonstrating the importance attached to the development of education and the cultivation of talent in the Soviet areas.

常会决议的重大事项涉及经济、卫生、教育、军事等诸多方面。1932、1933年初，常会连续要求开展防疫运动，以保障工农群众的健康和预防春天发生瘟疫。1932年1月12日，常会讨论防疫问题，“决定举行全区防疫卫生运动”（《临时中央政府人民委员会的第四次常会》，《红色中华》1932年1月13日），次年1月31日，第三十一次常会“责成内务部举行大规模的防疫运动”（《人民委员会第三十一，三十二次常会》，《红色中华》1933年2月10日），体现出苏维埃政府对重大社会和民生问题的关注。常会对教育十分关注，较为典型的是有关列宁师范学校的事项，第七次、第八次、第十六次、第二十二次常会均有讨论和决议，涉及预算、组织、课程与教职员等多个问题。1932年6月13日，常会决定由中央创办列宁师范学校和由中央教育部长徐特立任校长，充分表明对苏区教育发展和人才培养的重视。

Agricultural production, especially spring plowing, as a major matter of Soviet economic construction, was discussed with higher frequency at the Standing Meetings held at the beginning of the year. On January 12, February 6, March 9, and March 16, 1932, the Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Standing Meetings all discussed spring plowing, explicitly requiring local governments to “use various methods to help the masses solve various problems in spring plowing.” [4]4 “Instruction of the Provisional Central Government on the Spring Plowing Issue,” *Red China*, February 10, 1932. On January 31, 1933, the Thirty-First Standing Meeting decided to mobilize the broad masses again, “to carry out early spring plowing, eliminate wasteland, and increase production.” [5]5 “The Thirty-First and Thirty-Second Standing Meetings of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, February 10, 1933. To this end, the *Spring Plowing Plan* passed by the Standing Meeting specifically outlined the precautions and mobilization methods for that year’s spring plowing production. The Thirty-Fourth Standing Meeting required the Fujian Provincial Soviet to “intensify land inspection and implement the spring plowing plan.” [6]6 “The Thirty-Third and Thirty-Fourth Standing Meetings of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, February 22, 1933. The Thirty-Fifth Standing Meeting “passed the instruction for Soviet government staff to help peasants with spring plowing and to grow their own vegetables.” [7]7 “The Thirty-Fifth Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, March 3, 1933. The Thirty-Seventh Standing Meeting reviewed the Fujian Provincial Soviet’s resolution on the spring plowing issue and “resolved to revise it.” [8]8 “The Thirty-Seventh Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, March 21, 1933. Soviet agricultural production was extremely important both for preparing grain supplies for the Red Army’s operations and for improving the daily lives of the workers and peasants. Therefore, the Standing Meetings’ attention to agricultural production was not limited to issuing policies and decrees but placed greater emphasis on their implementation. The Standing Meetings stressed, “Have the instructions on the spring plowing movement been implemented by governments at all levels? Have the difficulties concerning draft animals, farm tools, seeds, and other items in spring plowing been resolved?” [9]9 *Historical Data Library of the Central Revolutionary Base Area: Political Power System*, Vol. 6 (Nanchang: Central Party Literature Press & Jiangxi People’s Publishing House, 2013), p. 191. After discovering during review that the Fujian Province’s resolution on the spring plowing issue did not conform to the central government’s decrees, the Standing Meeting instructed the Ministry of Land to immediately inspect the spring plowing movement in various localities. This focus on agricultural production issues such as spring plowing precisely illustrates that “in the economic construction of the Soviet areas, the restoration and development of agriculture was always placed in the first position.” [10]10 *A Brief History of the Fujian-Zhejiang-Anhui-Jiangxi Soviet Area* (Nanchang: Jiangxi People’s Publishing House, 2022), p. 166.

农业生产尤其是春耕作为苏维埃经济建设重大事项，在年初的常会上讨论频率更高。1932年1月12日、2月6日、3月9日和3月16日，第四、六、九、十次常会都有讨论春耕，明确要求地方政府“用各种方法帮助群众去解决春耕中各种问题”（《临时中央政府关于春耕问题的训令》，《红色中华》1932年2月10日）。1933年1月31日，第三十一次常会决定再动员广大群众，“实行提前春耕，消灭荒田，增加生产”（《人民委员会第三十一，三十二次常会》，《红色中华》1933年2月10日）。为此，常会通过的《春耕计划》具体部署了当年春耕生产的注意事项及动员方式等。第三十四次常会要求福建省苏“加紧检查土地，执行春耕计划”（《人民委员会第三十三三十四次常会》，《红色中华》1933年2月22日），第三十五次常会“通过苏维埃政府工作人员帮助农民春耕并自己种菜的训令”（《人民委员会第卅五次常会》，《红色中华》1933年3月3日）。第三十七次常会审查福建省苏关于春耕问题的决议，“议决重新更改”（《人民委员会第三十七次常会》，《红色中华》1933年3月21日）。苏维埃的农业生产，对红军作战的粮食准备、工农群众日常生活改善都极为重要，因此，常会对农业生产的关注，不限于政策法令的发布，更注重其执行。常会强调，“春耕运动的训令，各级政府是否执行了？是否解决了春耕中耕牛、农具、种子等项的困难？”（《中央革命根据地历史资料文库·政权系统》第6册，中央文献出版社、江西人民出版社2013年版，第191页）。在审查中发现福建省春耕问题决议不符合中央政令后，常会又责成土地部立即检查各地的春耕运动。对春耕等农业生产议题的关注，正说明“苏区的经济建设，始终把恢复和发展农业摆在第一位”（《闽浙皖赣苏区简史》，江西人民出版社2022年版，第166页）。

Generally speaking, each Standing Meeting discussed multiple agenda items. Among the 39 Standing Meetings reported by *Red China*, as many as 24 discussed six or more items. However, the Standing Meetings also specifically resolved certain important tasks. For example, the Nineteenth Standing Meeting was devoted entirely to discussing the revision of tax regulations, including resolving to revise the tax regulations, reviewing and passing the content of the commercial tax, reviewing and passing the content of the land tax, passing the order to revise the tax regulations, and passing the detailed rules for land tax collection. The Thirty-Third Standing Meeting was devoted entirely to discussing the military issues of Fujian Province, issuing instructions and resolutions on the current work and deployment of the Fujian Military District. The Thirty-Fourth Standing Meeting was again devoted entirely to discussing the work of the Fujian Provincial Soviet, hearing a work report from Zhang Dingcheng, the Chairman of the Provincial Soviet, pointing out problems such as unsound work, lack of close relations with the masses, and bureaucratic formalism, and then issuing instructions on important tasks such as solving worker unemployment, implementing the spring plowing plan, regulating grain and increasing production, rectifying finances, and the refugee problem. From this perspective, the Standing Meetings were an important channel for the central government to handle daily government affairs, reflecting that the central government’s decision-making possessed the characteristics of being scientific and democratic.

一般而言，常会每次都讨论多项议题。《红色中华》报道的39次常会中，有多达24次讨论6项以上议题。不过，常会也专门议决某项重要工作。如，第十九次常会专门讨论修改税则问题，包括决议修改税则、审查并通过商业税的内容、审查并通过土地税的内容、通过修改税则的命令和通过土地税征收细则。第三十三次常会专门讨论福建省的军事问题，对福建军区目前的工作及布置作出指示与决议。第三十四次常会又专门讨论福建省苏的工作问题，听取省苏主席张鼎丞的工作报告，指出该省存在工作不健全、与群众关系不密切、官僚形式主义等问题，进而对解决工人失业、执行春耕计划、调剂粮食与增加生产、整理财政、难民问题等重要工作作出指示。由此来看，常会是中央政府处理日常政务的重要途径，体现出中央政府的决策具有科学化、民主化特点。

Conducting Inspection and Examination Work

巡视和检查工作

Conducting inspection and examination work was also one of the daily responsibilities of the Standing Meetings. According to reports, the Standing Meetings repeatedly sent personnel to various localities to carry out inspection and examination work. The Fifth Standing Meeting decided to inspect the work in Ruijin; the Forty-Fifth Standing Meeting again sent personnel “to inspect the land investigation work in eight counties.” [11]11 “The Forty-Fifth Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee,” *Red China*, August 13, 1933. Regarding the feedback from various inspection and examination results, the Standing Meetings not only made them public but also promptly made corresponding improvements and continuously tracked subsequent developments. For example, an inspection found that although the Soviet work in Ningdu had a considerable scale, there existed “a phenomenon of each acting on its own authority,” the relationship between higher and lower-level governments was weak, with higher levels not managing lower levels and lower levels not reporting to higher levels; staff were slack in their work, and the “degree of implementation” of orders and instructions from higher-level governments “was very weak.” [12]12 “A Glimpse of Soviet Work in Ningdu,” *Red China*, April 21, 1932. Subsequently, the Twelfth Standing Meeting heard the inspection work report and “resolved to send a letter of instruction to the Ningdu County Soviet,” [13]13 “The Twelfth Standing Meeting of the People’s Committee of the Provisional Central Government,” *Red China*, April 28, 1932. providing five supplementary instructions for the work in Ningdu. Therefore, the Standing Meetings basically formed a workflow and system of “promoting inspection and examination work — hearing inspection and examination reports — collective discussion and review — issuing work instructions.” This could both urge local governments to work actively and effectively implement central government decrees and decisions, and also facilitate the central government in better scientific decision-making and the promotion of government affairs.

巡视和检查工作，也是常会的日常职责之一。从报道来看，常会多次派员到各地开展巡视和检查工作。第五次常会决定巡视瑞金工作；第四十五次常会又派员“巡视八县查田工作”。对于各项巡视和检查结果的反馈，常会不仅会公开发布，还会及时做出应对改进，并持续跟踪后续发展。例如巡视发现，宁都苏维埃的工作虽有相当规模，但存在“各自为政的现象”，上下级政府关系薄弱，上级不管下级，下级不向上级报告；工作人员工作懒散，对上级政府的命令和指示，“执行程度非常薄弱”（《宁都苏维埃工作之一班（斑）》，《红色中华》1932年4月21日）。之后，第十二次常会听取巡视工作报告，“议决给宁都县苏一封指示信”（《临时中央政府人民委员会第十二次常会》，《红色中华》1932年4月28日），对宁都工作给予五点补充指示。因此，常会基本形成“推动巡视和检查工作—听取巡视和检查报告—集体讨论审查—做出工作指示”的工作流程和制度，既能督促地方政府积极工作，有效执行中央政令和决策，也有利于中央政府更好地科学决策和推行政务。

Similarly, in response to the serious phenomena of local governments failing to effectively implement government decrees, or implementing them insufficiently, or even neglecting to implement higher-level policies and laws, the Standing Committee meetings also used inspections and checks to make corrections. The Eighth Standing Committee meeting passed the “Order on Earnestly Implementing Work Inspections,” which focused on checking important tasks such as the election campaign, the spring plowing campaign, economic frugality, preferential treatment for the Red Army, the counter-revolutionary suppression work, and fiscal unification. The Twenty-Eighth Standing Committee meeting again pointed out the need to inspect the work of reforming local governments at all levels, “resolving that the Central Committee should write another resolution pointing out the current significance and methods of reforming the government” (“The Twenty-Eighth Standing Committee Meeting of the People’s Council,” *Red China*, November 28, 1932). At the same time, the central government required local governments to report their work to it. The “Order on Earnestly Implementing Work Inspections” demanded: “All lower-level governments must submit detailed reports to their superiors; higher-level authorities must supervise and urge lower levels to make reports, and must send people to lower levels for earnest inspections.” The “Resolution of the Central Executive Committee on Inspecting Work in Ruijin” also pointed out: “Governments at all levels must implement a reporting system to their superiors; higher-level authorities must immediately implement periodic work inspections of lower levels, and bear the responsibility for supervision and guidance” (*Historical Data Library of the Central Revolutionary Base Area: Political Power System*, Vol. 6, pp. 191, 220). Thus, the central government’s top-down work inspections and local governments’ bottom-up work reports were closely integrated and jointly advanced.

同样，针对地方政府存在没有切实执行政令，或者是执行得不充分，甚至忽视执行上级政策法令的严重现象，常会也通过巡视和检查加以纠正。第八次常会通过《切实执行工作检查》的命令，重点检查选举运动、春耕运动、节俭经济、优待红军、肃反工作、财政统一等重要工作。第二十八次常会再次指出要检查各级地方政府改造的工作，“议决由中央再写一决议指出目下改造政府的重要意义与办法”（《人民委员会第二十八次常会》，《红色中华》1932年11月28日）。同时，中央政府要求地方政府向其报告工作，《切实执行工作检查》要求：“各下级政府，务须向上级详细报告，上级要督促和催促下级做报告，并要派人到下级去切实检查。”《中央执行委员会检查瑞金工作后的决议》也指出：“各级政府对上级要实行报告制度，上级对于下级要立即实行按期检查工作，并负责来督促和指导工作。”（《中央革命根据地历史资料文库·政权系统》第6册，第191页、第220页）因而，中央政府自上而下的工作检查同地方政府自下而上的工作报告紧密结合、共同推进。

The inspections and checks promoted by the Standing Committee meetings not only strengthened the leadership capacity of the central government but also helped the central government grasp the actual situation of local governments implementing central policies and laws, promptly identifying problems and shortcomings in local government work. This had positive significance for local governments in improving their work and enhancing administrative capacity and efficiency.

常会推动的巡视和检查工作不仅能够加强中央政府的领导力量，还有助于中央政府掌握地方政府落实中央政策、法令的实际情况，及时发现地方政府工作存在的问题与不足，对于地方政府改进工作、提高行政能力与效率具有积极意义。

Promulgating Laws and Appointing and Dismissing Personnel

颁布法令和任免人事

From the very beginning of its establishment, the Soviet political power placed great emphasis on standardized and law-based administration. The unified financial regulations and instructions passed at the Third Standing Committee meeting were among the earliest regulations promulgated by the central government. Subsequently, to promote the implementation of important matters, the Standing Committee meetings successively promulgated multiple laws and regulations. Among these, 25 concerned Soviet economic construction, 20 concerned political construction, and 1 concerned cultural and educational construction, accounting for over 85 percent of the total number of laws and regulations promulgated. The Fifth Standing Committee meeting deliberated on 13 agenda items, 7 of which involved promulgating laws and regulations. Promulgating laws and regulations gradually became one of the daily important functions of the Standing Committee meetings, highlighting the distinctive characteristics of the Soviet government’s law-based administration.

苏维埃政权建立之初就十分注重规范和依法行政。第三次常会通过的统一财政条例和训令，是中央政府最早颁布的条例之一。此后，为推动重要事项的贯彻落实，常会陆续颁布多项法令和条例。其中，关于苏维埃经济建设的25项、政治建设的20项、文化教育建设的1项，占比超过颁布法令和条例总数的百分之八十五。第五次常会议决13项议题，其中7项为颁布法令和条例。颁布法令和条例，逐渐成为常会日常的重要职责之一，彰显出苏维埃政府依法行政的鲜明特点。

The promulgation of laws and regulations by the Standing Committee meetings reflected the continuity of administrative deliberation and government transparency. On the one hand, many laws and regulations were decided to be drafted at one Standing Committee meeting, then passed and promulgated at subsequent meetings; some important laws and regulations required multiple reviews. For example, at the Seventh Standing Committee meeting, “Comrade Liang Botai proposed establishing a labor reformatory. It was resolved that Comrade Liang would draft the organizational law for the reformatory” (“The Seventh Standing Committee Meeting of the Central People’s Council,” *Red China*, February 24, 1932), and it was not until the Twenty-First Standing Committee meeting that the charter of the labor reformatory was passed. The Forty-Fifth Standing Committee meeting proposed that the election law needed to be revised, and the Forty-Seventh Standing Committee meeting passed the election law. On the other hand, the laws and regulations promulgated by the Standing Committee meetings were often promptly published in *Red China*. This continuity between the government’s promulgation of laws and regulations and their public release reflected the central government’s transparency and the function of *Red China* as the government’s official newspaper.

常会颁布法令和条例，体现出行政议事与政务公开的连续性。一方面，许多法令和条例由某次常会决定起草，再由后续的常会通过和颁布，有的重要法令和条例需经多次审议。例如，第七次常会，“梁柏台同志提议创办劳动感化院。决议，由梁同志起稿感化院组织法”（《中央政府人民委员会第七次常会》，《红色中华》1932年2月24日），直至第二十一次常会才通过劳动感化院的章程。第四十五次常会提出选举法须重新修改，第四十七次常会通过选举法。另一方面，常会颁布的法令和条例，往往通过《红色中华》及时发布。这种政府颁布法令和条例与公开发布的连续性，体现中央政府的政务公开及《红色中华》政府机关报的职能。

According to reports, 20 Standing Committee meetings involved personnel appointments and dismissals, covering central and local levels, and spanning various departments such as economy, education, labor, internal affairs, and military. The meeting with the most personnel appointments and dismissals was the Fortieth Standing Committee meeting, involving 36 person-times. The personnel appointments and dismissals of the Standing Committee meetings were highly correlated with the importance of the work involved. Cumulatively, 102 person-times were appointed to central administrative organs and their internal institutions, and 38 person-times to local administrative organs. Among these, 5 ministers, 7 vice-ministers, and 48 committee members of the central government were appointed. On May 8, 1933, the Forty-First Standing Committee meeting even appointed heads of military departments, including appointing Zhu De as Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and concurrently Commander-in-Chief of the First Front Army, and Zhou Enlai as General Political Commissar of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and concurrently General Political Commissar of the First Front Army (“The Forty-First Standing Committee Meeting of the Central People’s Council,” *Red China*, May 11, 1933). Through the Standing Committee meetings, the central government fulfilled the important function of deploying Party, government, and military leading cadres, ensuring the stability and scientific leadership of cadres in central and local Party, government, and military institutions.

从报道来看，有20次常会涉及人事任免，涵盖中央及地方，覆盖经济、教育、劳动、内务、军事等各部门，任免人事最多的是第四十次常会，涉及36人次。常会的人事任免与该项工作的重要性高度相关，累计委任中央行政机关及内设机构102人次，地方行政机关38人次。其中，委任中央政府部长5人、副部长7人、委员48人。1933年5月8日，第四十一次常会甚至任命了军事部门负责人，包括任命朱德为中国工农红军总司令兼第一方面军总司令、周恩来为中国工农红军总政治委员兼第一方面军总政治委员（《中央人民委员会第四十一次常会》，《红色中华》1933年5月11日）。中央政府通过常会履行了调配党政军领导干部的重要职能，确保了中央和地方党、政、军等机构干部稳定及科学领导。

(Author: Lin Xuwu, Professor at the School of Marxism, Peking University)

（作者：林绪武，系北京大学马克思主义学院教授）

Source: *Guangming Daily* (December 18, 2024, Page 11)

作者：《光明日报》（ 2024年12月18日 11版）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧