--- title: "Outline Land Law Definition | Model Diplomat" description: "The Outline Land Law, a 1947 CCP statute, abolished landlord holdings and redistributed land to peasants, shaping China's agrarian reforms." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/outline-land-law" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - The Outline Land Law was the Chinese Communist Party's 1947 agrarian statute that abolished landlord and clan landholding and redistributed land equally to peasants in areas under Communist control. - How did the Outline Land Law of 1947 differ from the May Fourth Directive of 1946? - What was the relationship between the Outline Land Law and the Agrarian Reform Law of 1950? - What excesses arose during implementation, and how were they addressed? - Why was peasant land ownership under the Law only transitional? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 The Outline Land Law was the Chinese Communist Party's 1947 agrarian statute that abolished landlord and clan landholding and redistributed land equally to peasants in areas under Communist control. Go beyond the definition ## Research Outline Land Law like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 10 October 1947 The Outline Land Law of China (中国土地法大纲, Zhōngguó Tǔdìfǎ Dàgāng) was promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on , having been adopted at the National… 2. 30 June 1950 The Outline Land Law became the template for the post-revolutionary nationwide campaign codified in the Agrarian Reform Law of , enacted after the founding o… ## Positions at a glance ### Supporters The Outline Land Law became the template for the post-revolutionary nationwide campaign codified in the Agrarian Reform Law of 30 June 1950, enacted after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, which extended land redistribution to the newly "liberated" regions of southern and central China and benefited an estimated 300 million peasants. Land reform under these successive statutes consolidated CCP rural support, destroyed the landlord class as a social force, and laid the groundwork for the subsequent collectivisation of agriculture through mutual-aid teams, cooperatives and ultimately the People's Communes of 1958. The redistributed private peasant ownership thus proved transitional, soon absorbed into collective ownership. ### Opponents The Outline Land Law of China (中国土地法大纲, Zhōngguó Tǔdìfǎ Dàgāng) was promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on 10 October 1947, having been adopted at the National Land Conference held at Xibaipo in Hebei province under the direction of Liu Shaoqi. It superseded the more moderate "May Fourth Directive" of 1946, which had merely sanctioned reduction of rent and interest, and instead mandated the outright abolition of the agrarian system of feudal and semi-feudal exploitation. Article-by-article the Law decreed the confiscation of all land belonging to landlords, ancestral shrines, temples, monasteries and schools, the cancellation of rural debts, and the equal redistribution of land to the entire village population — men, women and children alike — on a per-capita basis. It was enacted during the Chinese Civil War (1946–1949) as both a tool of social transformation and a strategy to mobilise the rural poor against the Kuomintang. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about Outline Land Law Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on Outline Land Law](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Outline%20Land%20Law%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example In 1947, the CCP under Liu Shaoqi adopted the Outline Land Law at the Xibaipo conference, redistributing confiscated landlord holdings to peasants across the Communist-held base areas during the Chinese Civil War. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition Lessons [Land Reform Collectivisation The Early Prc](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/china-modern-history-land-reform-collectivisation-the-early-prc)[The Sino Japanese War The Civil War](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/china-modern-history-the-sino-japanese-war-the-civil-war) Courses [China Modern History](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/china-modern-history) [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take Outline Land Law beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.