The two articles by Mao Tse-Tung entitled respectively "An analysis of social classes in China" and "Studies and reports on farmers' movements in Shonan" constitute the first two chapters of The Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung and are generally considered masterpieces of social analysis and essential to the study of class divisions in China. Dr. B. Schwartz of Harvard University, for example, attaches considerable importance to these articles in his Chinese Communism and the Rise of Mao. It must be noted, however, that these articles as printed in The Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung are considerably different from their original texts which I happened to discover, and that it would be a grave mistake to assume that these articles as they stand in The Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung represent faithfully the original intentions and ideas of Mao Tse-Tung. The primary purpose of the present paper is, therefore, to inquire into the nature and meaning of the revisions by subjecting the two versions to careful textual analysis. The secondary purpose of the present paper is to analyze Mao Tse-Tung's ideas and opinions on class divisions in China and to set them in an adequately organized historical perspective. The analysis of Mao Tse-Tung's ideas and opinions on class divisions in China was made possible by the discovery of the numerous articles Mao Tse-Tung had published prior to the two articles mentioned above, and the establishment of the historical perspective by analyzing and arranging various discussions on class divisions published prior to the advent of Mao Tse-Tung.

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During the Sung dynasty, salt was made from the water of sea, pond and well, among which "sea-salt" and "pond-salt" were particularly important in the amount produced. The "sea-salt" was produced along the seacoast from the Yangtze river to Canton, and that produced in the Liang che and Huai nan areas stands first on the list of its output and was colled "South-East Salt". This article is to make clear the method of making and marketing of it. Although boiling of the sea-water was common method of salt-making, the processing of it had local differences. For example, ash, instead of sand, was used in some area for being poured sea-water in order to raise its density. On the other hand, iron pans, instead of bamboo pans, were used in other area for boiling. As the result of such differences, the salt was different in color (white or light yellow) according to their area in which produced. Monopolized by the government, the salt had to be bought and stored by the government agency which was called "ting chang" or "chien". "Ting chong" was for selling to the merchant and was founded in many places according to its neccesity, but "chien" was set up on the location where the storing of salt was particularly needed to meet local scarecity. In the Liang che area, the salt bought and stored by the "ting chang" and "chien" was sold directly to the merchant for marketing. This fact shows that these government agencies played a role of connecting the producer ana the consumer. In the Huai nan area, on the contrary, the function of buying and selling was separated and different agencies took charge of them respectively. This means that the producer was more separated from the consumer than in the case of Liang che area. Such difference in the function of the government agencies in both areas explains the reason why : (1) illicit salt-making was popular in the Liang che area, (2) merchant producer were so active in the field of salt-making in the Liang che area in contrast to the government initiative in the industry under the strict monopoly system in the Huai nan area.

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