The ``Twelve Articles on Agricultural Work'' is a reference to the 12-article ``Urgent Letter of Instruction Concerning the Current Policies for Rural People's Communes'', issued by the Central Committee on November 3, 1960. This document pointed out that the tendency towards making a premature leap to communism -- a tendency characterized by requisition of the property of collective economic units without compensation -- was seriously damaging the productive forces in China's agriculture and should, therefore, be resolutely opposed and thoroughly corrected. Among other things, the document stipulated the following: the rural people's communes should institute the system of a three-level ownership with the contingents as the basic units (the contingents referred to were the ``production contingents'' which were renamed production brigades in 1961, when their subordinate production groups were renamed production teams; on February 13, 1962, the Central Committee issued a directive making the production teams the basic accounting units of the rural people's communes, in place of the production brigades); commune members should be allowed to farm small private plots and engage in small-scale household sideline production; the principle of ``to each according to his work'' should be resolutely upheld; and work should be combined with adequate rest. This letter of instruction played a positive role in correcting the tendency to make a premature leap to communism and bringing about a change in the rural situation prevailing at the time.