Directive of the Central Military Commission on the Army’s Participation in Production and Construction Work in 1950

Serious destruction. Today we must carry the revolutionary war through to the end, heal the wounds left behind by the protracted war, and engage in all kinds of construction work—economic, cultural, and national defense. The state’s revenues are insufficient, while expenditures are enormous. This is a tremendous difficulty we face today. The method for overcoming this difficulty is, first of all, for the people of the whole country, under the leadership of the Central People’s Government, gradually to restore and develop production. And the People’s Liberation Army must undertake a portion of the production tasks, so that it can join with the people of the whole country in jointly overcoming this difficulty.

The reason this production task can be realized is that the overwhelming majority of the People’s Liberation Army comes from the working people, possesses a high level of political consciousness and various production skills, and once undertook production tasks during the most arduous years of the War of Resistance Against Japan, possessing experience in production and a tradition of labor. The vast numbers of cadres and veteran soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army all understand that after the army participated in production, it not only overcame difficulties, reduced government expenditures, and improved the army’s livelihood, but also, through tempering by labor, enhanced the army’s political quality and improved relations between officers and soldiers and between the army and the people. The reason this production task can also be realized is that in areas where the war has ended, the People’s Liberation Army, in addition to undertaking tasks such as safeguarding national defense, eliminating bandits, consolidating public order, and strengthening training, already has surplus time to participate in production and construction work. All these are conditions enabling the People’s Liberation Army to realize the production task.

The People’s Liberation Army’s participation in production is not temporary; it should proceed from the perspective of long-term construction. Its emphasis, moreover, lies in increasing the wealth of society and the state through labor. Therefore, the chiefs of all military regions must guide their subordinate units, beginning in the spring of 1950, to implement participation in production and construction work, so as to improve their own livelihood and save a portion of state expenditures. This production and construction work should form a movement to facilitate its expansion. This production movement should formulate relatively long-term plans and concrete steps. The scope of production projects, with the permission of the people’s government, shall include agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, water conservancy projects, handicrafts, various construction projects, and all possible industrial and transport undertakings; engaging in commerce is prohibited. Army leading organs shall, based on the circumstances of their stationing areas, conduct investigation and research and make preparations this winter.

Based on past experience, the army’s production movement must strictly prohibit opening shops and engaging in commercial activities. If any thoughts of seeking exorbitant profits through smuggling, hoarding, or speculation exist among cadres, or if such acts are discovered, they must be promptly corrected and stopped. For these not only violate the correct production policy and disrupt economic order, but also will inevitably lead to corruption and degeneration, ruining our own comrades, and are impermissible under laws and decrees. Furthermore, when carrying out agricultural production, attention must be paid not to cause flooding due to land reclamation, and not to cause popular discontent due to disputes over land.

In order to enable the army to correctly carry out production tasks and develop the production movement, the following is stipulated:

(1) At and above the levels of division, army, and military sub-district, establish production committees with the participation of representatives from the headquarters, political department, and logistics department. Their tasks are to grasp the direction of production, examine and approve production plans, supervise the implementation of production plans, and inspect unlawful acts.

(2) Establish army production cooperatives and establish leading organs for the cooperatives at all levels. Under the supervision and leadership of the army production committees, they shall manage all production funds, production activities, and the handling of production results. The cooperative system and the army command system shall run parallel, maintaining close mutual contact but not being confused with each other.

(3) Implement the principle of giving consideration to both public and private interests, and distribute production dividends fairly and reasonably. Of these, 40 percent shall belong to the individual producers, and the remainder shall belong to the production unit and the state, so as to establish public and private revolutionary household economies, achieving, on the one hand, partial self-sufficiency for the army, and on the other hand, enabling individual producers to gain something. This personal gain may be kept for personal use, sent home for family use, or deposited in the cooperative for future use, as decided by the individual.

(4) In areas where land is scarce, in addition to participating in various possible handicraft, industrial, water conservancy, transport, and construction projects, army chiefs may consult with the local people’s government and, on the principle of voluntary participation by the peasants, join in labor, funds, fertilizer, and farm tools, and partner with the peasants to increase output and fairly distribute the results. However, attention must be paid not to enforce this coercively and not to compete for profits with the people.

(5) The production plans of the troops of all military regions must be integrated with the production plans of the various greater administrative areas and provincial people’s governments, and production funds must be coordinated as a whole. All army production funds shall be treated as investments, and interest must be calculated and repayment schedules fixed. All army production undertakings must pay taxes according to regulations and abide by all laws and decrees of the people’s government, and must not violate them.

It is hoped that the chiefs of all military regions will pay strict attention to the above, ensuring that the production and construction work of our People’s Liberation Army in 1950 achieves conspicuous results, and conduct inspections at any time to correct possible errors and shortcomings. Local people’s governments everywhere have the task of providing guidance and assistance to the production work of the local troops.

Chairman Mao Zedong
December 5, 1949

Notice on the Directive on Participation in Production and Construction Work [I]
(December 5, 1949)

To all Central Bureaus, Sub-Bureaus, all Front Committees, all Military Regions:

The People’s Revolutionary Military Council today issued a directive on the army’s participation in production and construction work in 1950 [2]. After you see it, you should immediately study it and, within the scope of your jurisdiction, actively and appropriately implement it for all troops and organs that can possibly participate in production and construction work. Pay attention to avoiding the mistakes made in the past when the army participated in production and construction, distinguish between the front and the rear, distinguish between troops and organs that possess the conditions for participating in production and those that do not yet currently possess such conditions, consider local conditions and funding conditions, and appropriately resolve this issue. This is an important issue. If this issue is resolved well, it will improve the livelihood of the troops and organs, save a portion of state expenditures, and produce a good influence among the people of the whole country.

The Central Committee
December 5

Telegram in Reply to Lu Han
(December 11, 1949)

Chairman Lu [1] of Kunming, for your kind inspection:

The Jia telegram [2] has been read and is a source of great gratification. Yunnan’s declaration of breaking away from the Kuomintang reactionary government and obeying the Central People’s Government will accelerate the progress of the liberation war in the southwest and will surely be welcomed by the people of the whole country. Now that Commander Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping of our Second Field Army have already entered Chongqing, in order to facilitate the concrete resolution of the Yunnan issue, it is earnestly hoped that you will promptly establish direct contact with Chongqing, accept the command of the two Generals Liu and Deng, and it is hoped that you will issue a general order to your subordinates to carry out the following items uniformly:

(1) Prepare to welcome the People’s Liberation Army’s entry into Yunnan and cooperate with our army to eliminate all counter-revolutionary troops that dare to resist.
(2) Implement the Proclamation of the People’s Liberation Army of April 21 this year [3] and the Four Appeals of the two Generals Liu and Deng of November 22 this year [4], protect all state property, maintain local order, and await takeover.
(3) Arrest important counter-revolutionary elements and suppress counter-revolutionary activities.
(4) Protect the people’s revolutionary activities and establish contact with the Yunnan people’s revolutionary armed forces.

Furthermore, for the purpose of formally announcing this uprising to Yunnan and the people of the whole country and obtaining the understanding of all parties, it would seem more appropriate to issue a separate circular telegram, making a further self-criticism of the past, and then have our side reply by telegram and publish it after mutual agreement. Specifically on this matter, I hope for your considered reply.

Mao Zedong
Zhu De
December 11

Written Speech Upon Arrival in Moscow [1]
(December 16, 1949)

Dear Comrades and Friends:

The opportunity I have on this occasion to visit the capital of the world’s first great socialist state, the Soviet Union, is a most pleasant event in my life. The peoples of the two great nations, China and the Soviet Union, possess profound friendship. After the October Socialist Revolution, the Soviet Government, in accordance with the policies of Lenin and Stalin, was the first to abolish the unequal treaties imposed on China during the tsarist era. In the nearly thirty years since, the Soviet people and the Soviet Government have on several occasions rendered assistance to the cause of the Chinese people’s liberation. The Chinese people, in their times of adversity, have received this fraternal friendship from the Soviet people and the Soviet Government, which they will never forget.

The important tasks at present are to consolidate the world peace front headed by the Soviet Union, oppose the instigators of war, consolidate the state relations between the two great nations, China and the Soviet Union, and develop the friendship between the Chinese and Soviet peoples. I believe that, owing to the victory of the Chinese people’s revolution and the founding of the People’s Republic of China, owing to the joint efforts of the new democratic states and the peace-loving people of the world, owing to the common desire and close cooperation of the two great nations, China and the Soviet Union, and especially owing to the correct international policy of Generalissimo Stalin, these tasks will surely be fully realized and yield good results.

Long live the friendship and cooperation between China and the Soviet Union!

December 1949, Mao Zedong visiting the Soviet Union, conversing with those seeing him off on the special train.


Mao Zedong during his visit to the Soviet Union.

--- Notes

[1] This is a notice drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to all Central Bureaus, Central Sub-Bureaus, Front Committees of all Field Armies of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and all Military Regions.
[2] i.e., “Directive on the Army’s Participation in Production and Construction Work in 1950.”


[1] Chairman Lu refers to Lu Han, formerly Chairman of the Kuomintang Yunnan Provincial Government and Director of the Kuomintang Army’s Yunnan Pacification Office.
[2] Refers to the telegram of December 9, 1949, from Lu Han to Mao Zedong and Zhu De concerning the declaration of Yunnan’s break from the Kuomintang reactionary government and obedience to the leadership of the Central People’s Government.
[3] Should be the “Proclamation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army” issued by Mao Zedong and Zhu De on April 25, 1949.
[4] The four pieces of earnest advice issued by Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping to Kuomintang military and political personnel in the southwest region: 1. Kuomintang troops should immediately cease resistance, stop destruction, and await reorganization. 2. Personnel of all types in Kuomintang government organs should immediately protect the property, equipment, and archives of the original organs and schools, and await takeover. 3. Kuomintang secret service personnel should immediately repent and mend their ways, and cease committing evil. 4. Township and bao personnel should immediately maintain local order and perform errands for the Liberation Army.


[1] On December 16, Mao Zedong led a delegation to Moscow. This is the speech delivered by Mao Zedong at the station upon arrival in Moscow.