Poor and lower-middle peasants (simplified Chinese: 贫下中农; traditional Chinese: 貧下中農; pinyin: pín xià-zhōng nóng) include Poor peasants and Lower-middle peasants. This term was first used by Mao Zedong in 1955.[1]
During the early years of the People's Republic, people in China were classified into different classes according to their economic conditions. The class system played a significant role in their lives. In the countryside, the members of the classes of Poor and Lower-middle peasants were the majority. They belonged to the Five Red Categories and were favored and supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[2]