In 2011, mainland Chinese media “Nanfang Weekend” published an article titled “Low-key Vegetable Farming”, which exposed a glimpse of the special supply system of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the first time to the entire Chinese population. This system included uncontaminated, pesticide-free, and fertilizer-free vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs specifically grown and raised for the privileged class.
Chinese ordinary people face toxic food every day, while the privileged class of the CCP enjoys special food supply, all the while hypocritically claiming to “serve the people” and be “public servants.”
This article sparked widespread attention but was later deleted, apparently because the CCP feared public resentment and being exposed for more lies.
Today, let’s take a look at the CCP’s special supply system.
In fact, the CCP’s special supply system began long before the CCP seized power, starting during the Yan’an period.
In 1941, CCP Central Secretary Ren Bishi established a strict hierarchical supply system following the Soviet model, with regulations for large and small kitchens.
In 1942, senior intellectual Wang Shiwei, working as a translator in Yan’an, lamented the three-tiered system of clothing and nine-tiered system of food distribution. He expressed that while patients couldn’t even get a sip of noodle soup and young students only received two meals of gruel a day, some seemingly healthy “big shots” were continuously enjoying “very unnecessary and irrational benefits.”
Former Chief of Staff of the CCP, Luo Ruiqing’s son Luo Yusheng disclosed to The Epoch Times that during the Yan’an period, the troops ate from a large communal pot while leaders like Mao Zedong ate from a smaller pot.
After the CCP seized power, the special supply system further developed.
In December 1955, a Special Supply Leadership Group was established in Beijing. The special supply mission was transferred from the Ministry of Public Security to the CCP Beijing Municipal Committee.
The mysterious “Unit 34” was born.
This was a secretive organization named “Beijing Municipal Food Supply Office Unit 34” due to its location at 34 Xilahutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing.
According to Luo Yusheng, it was a small courtyard with a main room displaying a row of cabinets selling items. CCP officials at the department level and above had a “special supply card,” similar to a household registration booklet, with a set quota for purchases. After buying goods, they would have to record it in the booklet.
On one hand, the CCP closed China off from the outside world, isolating Chinese people, while on the other hand, high-level CCP officials were enjoying foreign goods.
The range of “special supply” products included branded household appliances, watches, perfumes, fabrics, chocolates, brandy, whiskey, sanitary tissues, jewelry, and more imported from overseas. Items like top-grade black caviar from Russia and foie gras from France were readily available.
After seizing power, the CCP opened the first large department store in Beijing, initially known as the Beijing Department Store Wangfujing Department Store but later renamed Beijing Department Store Building.
Ordinary citizens could only access up to the third floor because the fourth floor was reserved as the “Special Needs Department,” providing rare food and commodities exclusively for CCP high officials and their families.
A selection room for goods was located in Room 7 on the fourth floor of the department store, stocked with luxurious fabrics, fine wines, gourmet foods, precious local specialties, and more. Holders of the special supply card could purchase items without ration coupons or tickets, at low prices, and could even make purchases on credit for up to 40,000 yuan.
During the period of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine from 1958 to 1962, millions of Chinese people died of hunger. Even as widespread starvation plagued China, the CCP continued to provide special supplies for high-ranking officials, including special foods and scarce high-quality items inaccessible to the general population.
According to an article published in the CCP’s party media “National Cultural History” in the 2011 15th issue titled “Xiangshan Farm: Supplying Agricultural Products for Central Leaders,” under Mao Zedong’s directive, authorities set up the Xiangshan Farm to supply vice premiers and higher-ranking officials as well as some senior central committee members with agricultural products.
Established under the management of the CCP Central Guard Bureau, the farm products were acquired by the supply department under the Guard Bureau. Farm workers would harvest fresh vegetables every morning, carefully package them, and deliver them promptly, ensuring a level of cleanliness and freshness far surpassing ordinary vegetables.
In August 2007, former official Gao Zhiyong revealed in an article in “Yanhuang Chunqiu” that during the Great Famine, his office at the Beijing Second Commercial Bureau was responsible for special political tasks. They operated several dedicated production bases, with the largest one being the Jushan Farm.
The Jushan Farm was the early version of the Xiangshan Farm. It specialized in producing, processing, and processing high-quality grains, oils, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, milk, daily and hospitality goods. Every detail, from planting to harvesting to packaging to distribution, was meticulously recorded for reference.
In recent years, an article titled “The Central Government’s Central Agency Food Special Supply Center Should be Disbanded” was circulating online, highlighting the discrepancies in quality and access to food between officials and the average Chinese citizen due to the special supply system.
Whether through establishing special supply bases or partnering with reliable suppliers, provincial and municipal governments across China have been implementing similar systems to cater to local officials.
For example, the Shunyi district in Beijing has a special supply base called the “Customs Greenhouse.” Described as surrounded by a two-meter-high wall, iron fences, and guarded by five security personnel, the full name of this base is the “Beijing Customs Vegetable Base and Countryside Club,” covering over two hundred acres. Everything grown inside is organic and green, without the use of chemical fertilizers, only organic manure, and biological pesticides.
Known sources revealed that this base had been collaborating with Beijing Customs for over a decade, supplying vegetables exclusively to them. The Beijing Customs trucks would come to collect the produce multiple times a week, transporting thousands of kilograms of vegetables each time.
The report by “Nanfang Weekend” also mentioned that government institutions in Beijing, like the Customs, had their own special supply vegetable bases, which were not limited to the Shunyi region only. Provincial directly administered governmental organs in Shaanxi, Guangdong, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Liaoning, and other provinces also had their exclusive fruit and vegetable supply channels and institution-specific farms.
For areas without the capacity to develop special supply bases, local governments sought out reliable food suppliers. An investigation by “Nanfang Weekend” found that some of the 103 green food suppliers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics still maintained partnerships with government departments.
Besides government canteens, some officials sourced their own vegetables and fruits from another special vegetable base in the Shunyi district. To ensure the quality of produce, inspectors from Shaanxi, Shandong, and other provinces were sent by the Ministry of Agriculture for cross-checks, with local agricultural and quality inspection departments conducting routine testing to prevent any mishaps.
Records for all the vegetables at the base were as detailed as a population census, meticulously tracking planting dates, seed origins, planting and harvesting dates, pesticide application details, designated harvest days, and personnel involved in the process.
In essence, special supply was not just limited to the highest echelons of the CCP but extended to local officials as well starting from the 1990s.
[Nanfang Weekend]’s article detailed these widespread special supply bases across China.
The affairs of officials often set the tone for the broader population, highlighting underlying issues like inequality and privileged access to resources. It’s crucial to examine these practices critically to understand their impact on society and governance.