From 1953 to 1955, the central government in Beijing strengthened its grain procurement policies. It not only raised the agricultural tax, but also incessantly increased its general purchases. The national government took away substantially more grain from the localities. To make sure that the peasants’ personal grain needs appeared to be met, the local government used multiple methods to “correct” the figures in a variety of records. In the end, the Tongbai County government chose to replace refined grain with unhusked grain for the peasants’ personal consumption.