Comments on Letters from Zeng Shan and Yao Yilin [1] Concerning Commercial Issues (January 4, 1953) To Zhou, Zhu, Peng, Peng Zhen, Gao, Deng, Chen, Bo [2], and Comrade Zeng Shan: I believe the views put forward by Comrades Zeng Shan and Yao Yilin in this letter [3] are correct. This issue is of very broad scope, affecting the production and consumption of all commodities. A sound decision must be made, after which the entire Party should be mobilized to work together to implement it, so that our commercial work can overcome its present state of extreme blindness and passivity and be brought onto the right track. It is proposed that, following the conference of directors of the Ministry of Commerce, the Central Financial and Economic Commission draft for the CPC Central Committee an instruction or decision on commercial work, to be discussed at a meeting of the Central Committee. Mao Zedong January 4 Based on the manuscript copy. Notes [1] Zeng Shan was then Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Commission of the Administrative Council and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce. Yao Yilin was then Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the Central People’s Government. [ ] Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Zhu refers to Zhu De. Peng refers to Peng Dehuai, who at that time held…