A Study Of The County-Society Joint Venture Model In The Development Of Xisha Fishing Ground(1958-1962)

From the late 1950s to the early 1960s,in the face of the severe international situation and the complex geopolitical situation in the South China Sea,the Chinese government,in order to maintain the sovereign security of the South China Sea and to quickly establish people’s communes in the coastal fishing areas,made use of the characteristics of the modern enterprise system and the people’s commune system in the development of the Xisha fishing grounds and mobilized In the process of developing the Xisha fishing grounds,the Chinese government made use of the modern enterprise system and the characteristics of the people’s commune system to mobilize private forces to participate in the operation and development of the Xisha fishing grounds,forming a model of county-society joint venture under the joint leadership of the local county committee and the people’s commune.At the end of 1958,the local state-run Qiongdong County Development Southwest Sand Company was established,which was state-run in nature.In April 1960,by the approval of the higher authorities,the company was transformed into the "County-Society Joint Venture Development Southwest Sand Company",which was jointly led by the Qionghai County Committee and the Tanmen Commune.In the practice of the county-society joint venture,the Southwest Sand Company combined the advantages of the system of people’s commune and enterprise system,equalizing the commune’s property labor to develop fishery mechanization;drawing on the enterprise team economical accounting system to improve labor productivity;coordinating the distribution system to take into account the interests of the enterprise,commune and fishermen;implementing the dual leadership of the enterprise and commune to relieve fishermen of the worries of distant sea operations.The above-mentioned practices have been effective in improving the technical level of fisheries,exploring the economic potential of fishing grounds,enhancing fishermen’s awareness of sovereignty and expanding the scope of fishing grounds in the South China Sea.However,at the same time,there were contradictions between the people’s commune system and the modern enterprise system,and it was difficult to balance the rights and interests of communes,enterprises and individuals.In May 1962,under the further deterioration of the situation in the South China Sea and the adjustment of the national policy,the Southwest Sand Company was renamed as the Tamen Commune Fishing Company,which was led by the Tamen Fishery People’s Commune alone,and the scale of developing the Xisha fishing grounds was drastically reduced,thus ending the model of county-society joint venture.Summarizing the gains and losses of the county-society joint venture model in the development of the Xisha fishing grounds,we highlight the advantages of the socialist system from the perspective of the interaction between the state,local communities and fishermen,and provide lessons for the economic development and sovereignty maintenance in the South China Sea today.