To the Central China Bureau, with copy to all Bureaus and Field Armies: Your telegram of August 30 has been received.


We concur with your views on convening county-level conferences of representatives from all sectors and hereby forward this telegram to all Bureaus and Field Armies for their study and implementation.


The question of holding county-level conferences of representatives from all sectors first came to our attention following a proposal by the Northwest Bureau and has since been deemed beneficial rather than harmful.


On the other hand, postponing such conferences until agricultural cooperatives have established a solid base in the countryside before calling people’s representative assemblies—as stipulated in the Central Committee’s reply of December 2, 1948 (reprinted in the “Collection of Policies”)—would be highly disadvantageous.


In practice, many major policies at the county level—for example, bandit suppression, struggle against local tyrants, grain loans, grain requisition, disaster relief, dike repairs, efforts to organize peasants into agricultural cooperatives, rent and interest reductions, restoration and development of industry and commerce as well as cultural and educational undertakings within the county, and the introduction of the Renminbi along with county-level fiscal and financial matters—have proven far more effective when discussed at conferences of representatives from all sectors, approved by the delegates, and then communicated and implemented. This approach is considerably more advantageous than confining these matters to prolonged intra-party deliberations, internal communication, and execution among Party cadres alone.


The composition of the county-level conference of representatives should include delegates from the Party, government, and military; peasant and worker representatives; revolutionary intellectuals and women; representatives of industry and commerce; and several enlightened gentry.


Among them, Communist Party members and reliable left-wing elements should constitute more than half of the assembly to ensure that resolutions can be passed. A moderate contingent, together with a small number of non-reactionary rightists who need to be won over, might account for about one-third, so as to isolate the reactionaries, facilitate the implementation of government directives and mass mobilization, and enable the identification of problems and the discovery of active cadres.


Provincial, regional, and prefectural Party committees must actively assist county Party committees in systematically planning, preparing for, and leading these conferences.


This is a county-wide meeting, with representatives from the county seat, various districts, townships, and county-level institutions all participating under the leadership of the county Party committee and convened by the county government.


This pertains to the county level; as for districts and townships, representative assemblies of peasants should be held there according to your recommendations, but revolutionary intellectuals should also be included.


All other matters are to be handled as you have suggested.


We currently lack experience in conducting such meetings, so please pay close attention to gathering practical insights, guiding localities, and keeping us informed.


We request that you and all Central Bureaus forward this telegram down to the county level.


Issued by the Central Committee on September 7, based on Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft.


Note ①: The opinions put forward by the Central China Bureau of the CPC in its request report to the Central Committee dated August 30, 1949, concerning the convening of county-level representative conferences were as follows: First, only counties should hold conferences of representatives from all sectors; district and township levels may convene peasant representative assemblies instead, gradually working toward using these peasant assemblies as a foundation while inviting participation from students, women, and a small number of industrial and commercial figures as well as enlightened gentry (designated as democratic personages). Second, the admission of enlightened gentry must meet the conditions previously prescribed by the Central Committee and be approved at the prefectural Party committee level. Third, in larger county seats, urban and rural representatives may be convened jointly, with workers’ representatives from the city also participating. If this condition cannot be met, only peasant representatives (with particular emphasis on those engaged in handicrafts) should be invited; there is no need to devote special effort to organizing rural workers to elect their own delegates solely for the purpose of holding the meeting, so as not to dissipate energy.