Perhaps you could clarify a bit? There was always private property in the sense of clothing, money, personal effects, etc -- even on the communal farms(kolkozes) during the Stalinist era. In both Russia and China, there were limits on private property that varied over time, but neither succeeded in eradicating it (or its counterpart, money) successfully. Now what property rights (to the extent that any rights were respected) a person had beyond mere possession of personal effects (i.e. a right to exchange or a right to save/hoard) varied over both time and space (within each country).

EDIT: I should point out that at least the USSR formally abolished private property. But still, it existed. They unsuccessfully legislated a lot of things.