Letter to All Workers of the Steelmaking Plant of Anshan Iron and Steel Company (December 14, 1952) Comrades, all workers of the Steelmaking Plant of Anshan Iron and Steel Company: I was very pleased to read your letter of December 2 [1]. I congratulate you on your latest achievement in open-hearth steelmaking [2]. With high work enthusiasm and a spirit of innovation, and with the assistance of Soviet experts, you have set new records in both smelting time per heat and furnace bottom area utilization coefficient—exceeding the levels attained by capitalist countries. This is not only a source of pride for you but also a significant event on our country’s path to industrialization. I hope you will continue to strive hard and fight to fulfill the new task of producing high-quality steel in 1953. Mao Zedong December 14, 1952 Printed according to the edition published in the People’s Daily on December 17, 1952. Notes [1] The letter informed Mao Zedong of the joyful news that on November 22, 1952, the Steelmaking Plant of Anshan Iron and Steel Company, with the help of Soviet experts, had set a new national record for open-hearth steelmaking: just six hours and nine minutes to complete one heat. 6£´

[2] Refers to the new records achieved by No. 4 open-hearth furnace in terms of smelting time per heat and furnace bottom area utilization coefficient, which were reported to Mao Zedong in the letter just a day or two before the letter was written.