Hainan Island and the Coastal Islands
Measures for Disposition After Occupation
(May 18, 1950)

To the Guangdong Military District, the Fifteenth Army Corps, with notice to the Central-South Military Region:

According to a telegram sent by Comrade Su Yu on May 16 to the Seventh Army Corps regarding the disposition after the occupation of the Zhoushan Islands, which stated: “All enemy airfields, docks, warehouses, barracks, and all types of transportation, architectural, and other facilities on every island should be carefully and completely placed under guard. In particular, enemy fortifications along the coastal forward positions, supplementary defensive installations, and key fortifications in depth should be assigned to specialized units for guard and protection, and no damage is permitted. Should members of the public be found taking advantage of opportunities to dismantle or destroy various buildings and installations, this should be prevented and checked, and efforts should be made to mobilize and persuade them to obey our army’s regulations. As for cases where the bandit forces [2] looted and encroached upon the interests of the masses by seizing timber, bricks, and stones to construct fortifications and the like, it is also necessary to convince the masses [3] at this moment to endure for the time being and wait until order is restored and our army grants permission before handling such matters.” We believe this approach is correct. Hainan Island, all the islands off the coast of Guangdong, and the coastal shoreline should be dealt with in accordance with these measures. We request a report on how you have handled this in the past.

The Military Commission
May 18
[1]
This telegram was drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to the Guangdong Military District and the Fifteenth Army Corps, with notice to the Central-South Military Region.
[2]
Referring to the Kuomintang troops that originally occupied the Zhoushan Islands.
[3]
This refers to persuading the people of the Zhoushan Islands, after the People’s Liberation Army occupied the islands, not to immediately dismantle the fortifications built by the former Kuomintang troops in order to retrieve their own timber, bricks, and stones.