--- Notes

Comments on Bo Yibo’s Report Concerning the Proliferation of Levies in Towns and Townships (December 19, 1952) Zhou [2] has reviewed this; return it to Comrade Bo Yibo. … It still seems advisable to issue an instruction summarizing the situation thus far and outlining the direction forward. Specifically, include the various causes mentioned in this letter [3], together with the three principles for rural finance and the several characteristics set forth in the explanatory notes on the first page of the statistical table. The document need not be lengthy. Mao Zedong, December 19. Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Bo Yibo was at the time Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Commission of the Administrative Council and Minister of Finance. [2] Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. [3] Refers to Bo Yibo’s letter of December 18, 1952, to Mao Zedong concerning the multiplicity of levies imposed on townships and villages. The letter states that there are six major categories comprising a total of 336 different types of levies. The underlying reasons are analyzed as follows: (1) The township-level governments have not yet been reformed, and higher-level authorities have not exercised strict oversight, resulting in extremely heavy levies. (2) Various departments at the central level and in the major administrative regions independently assign tasks, expand staffing, and initiate new projects without specifying sources of funding. (3) Certain central government agencies, in order to advance their “work,” place an undue burden on the people. (4) In some cases, the lack of clear financial regulations means that practices which should be prohibited remain unchecked, while legitimate expenditures are not reimbursed, leaving levies as the only option. (5) Many levies—such as those for banquets, ceremonies, and meetings—are largely imitative, reflecting the extravagant practices of higher authorities. (6) Other levies arise from local cadres’ excessive zeal, leading them to undertake too many initiatives prematurely and beyond their capabilities. Despite these numerous levies, certain improvements have been made through the Three-Anti Campaign and the ongoing efforts over the past six months to streamline village finances.


Comments on the United Front Work Department’s Telegram Inquiring into the Destruction of Temples in Southern Jiangsu (December 19, 1952) Comrade Li Weihan [1]: Please attach this document [2] and forward it to all Central Bureaus and the United Front Work Departments of provinces and municipalities for their attention. It is likely that similar incidents occur in other localities as well. Mao Zedong, December 19. Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Li Weihan was at the time Head of the CPC Central Committee’s United Front Work Department. [ ] Refers to the CPC Central Committee’s United Front Work Department’s telegram dated December 11, 1952, addressed to the East China Bureau’s United Front Work Department, seeking information regarding the destruction of temples in southern Jiangsu. The telegram notes that some Buddhist followers in Jiangsu have reported: “Since this spring, the trend of smashing statues and demolishing temples has surged, with several renowned monasteries and hermitages completely destroyed”; moreover, the Jingxin Nunnery in southern Pudong has also been utterly razed. The telegram requests that the East China Bureau’s United Front Work Department investigate the facts. If the reports prove true, immediate corrective action should be taken, appropriate measures implemented, and vigilance maintained to determine whether similar occurrences have taken place elsewhere.