Comments on the Hubei Provincial Party Committee’s Directive for Implementing the Spirit of the Handicrafts Representatives’ Conference (March 24 and April 4, 1953) Comrade Deng Zihui: This document from Hubei [1] is very good.
Regarding the ten agreements mentioned on page seven [2], if your office has a copy, please send it to me for review.
Could you draft a telegram on behalf of the Central Committee [3] forwarding the Hubei document to all localities, urging each province to also convene representatives’ conferences on handicrafts?
Mao Zedong, March 24.
To Comrade Deng Zihui: The Hubei handicrafts agreements seem suitable for republication in the People’s Daily; please make arrangements accordingly.
Mao Zedong, April 4. Printed from the manuscript.

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Notes [1] Zihui refers to Deng Zihui, who at that time served as Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Department of Rural Work and Deputy Director of the State Council’s Finance and Economic Commission. [2] Refers to the directive issued by the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee on March 2, 1953, concerning the implementation of the spirit of the provincial handicrafts representatives’ conference.
The directive stated that while handicrafts in Hubei had experienced significant development since liberation, certain problems still persisted.
The most pressing issue was the tendency to treat small producers as capitalists and to equate internal labor relations—such as employer–worker and master–apprentice relationships—with labor–management relations, thereby creating tensions that hindered production.
Furthermore, hasty and coercive efforts to organize joint ventures and cooperatives, coupled with inappropriate measures in handling public–private relations, had led some handicraftsmen to hesitate to boldly hire workers, increase capital, or expand production.
As a result, the shortage of handicraft goods had become even more acute.
To address these issues, it was decided: (1) To categorize and prioritize handicraft activities in each town and city, establishing specific policies: which could be appropriately developed, which should be maintained at their current level, and which needed to be converted to other trades. (2) To define the class boundaries within the handicraft sector broadly rather than narrowly.
Those who employed assistants and apprentices, engaging in some degree of exploitation but whose primary income still came from their own labor, should be regarded as small producers.
Even enterprises employing several workers, where the owner participated actively in production and used rented premises and tools, with exploitation constituting only a minor component, should not be classified as capitalist enterprises.
The overarching principle for managing labor–management, employment, and master–apprentice relations was to prioritize production and unity. (3) With regard to wages, working hours, and welfare benefits for workers and apprentices, the ten agreements adopted at the representatives’ conference were to be strictly followed.
Handicraft industries could not generally adopt the wage, hour, and labor protection systems typical of large factories; traditional practices and customs in each sector, provided they met basic production requirements and benefited both labor and management, were to be retained in principle. (4) At present, handicrafts should be encouraged to engage in self-production and self-marketing, improve quality, and open up sales channels, reserving contract manufacturing primarily as a supplementary measure for industries facing particular difficulties in finding outlets. (5) To publicize the future prospects of the handicraft sector and dispel the notion held by some that national industrialization would inevitably lead to its elimination. (6) At the level of cities, prefectures, or counties, well-organized meetings were to be convened among cadres of urban areas and relevant work units to study the documents of the handicrafts representatives’ conference, unify thinking, and formulate concrete plans for systematic and prioritized implementation.
Party committees in all towns and cities were to regard this task as one of the central priorities for the first half of the year. [3] Refers to the agreements on several issues concerning master–apprentice, employment, and labor–management relations, adopted at the Hubei Province Handicrafts Representatives’ Conference held in February 1953, and published in the People’s Daily on April 23, 1953.
These ten agreements are as follows: First Agreement: The primary responsibility of an apprentice is to master a skill; therefore, they must maintain a proper work attitude, observe labor discipline, and follow the master’s assignments and guidance in production.
In addition to productive tasks, apprentices should also undertake ancillary duties related to production to assist the master in increasing output.
However, masters must refrain from beating, abusing, or forcing apprentices to perform work unrelated to production, nor may they interfere with apprentices’ political or recreational activities.
Masters are encouraged to abandon conservative attitudes, impart skills generously, and strive for effective, rapid, and comprehensive instruction.
Respect for teachers and affection between masters and apprentices are to be promoted, with masters taking pride in teaching well and apprentices in learning well.
Second Agreement: Employers are free to recruit new apprentices without restriction; however, they must notify the trade union and register the recruitment with the local labor authorities.
With respect to remuneration (excluding food), newly recruited apprentices generally receive a monthly allowance equivalent to ten to fifteen percent of the prevailing daily wage during their first year.
In certain industries, this rate may vary upward or downward through mutual agreement.
Subsequently, throughout the apprenticeship period (the second and third years), the allowance will be gradually increased based on the apprentice’s technical proficiency and production performance, while other benefits will continue to be provided in accordance with established customs.
Third Agreement: Existing apprentices are primarily tasked with mastering their craft under the guidance of their masters.
Both parties shall enter into a formal contract stipulating that, upon completion of the apprenticeship, the apprentice will have acquired a specified level of skill.
If, for any reason, an apprentice has not yet attained the requisite skills by the end of the prescribed apprenticeship period, they may continue assisting the master and furthering their training, with wages to be negotiated mutually.
Fourth Agreement: Medical expenses incurred by apprentices due to work-related illnesses, confirmed by a physician, shall be borne by the master for minor ailments, mild conditions, and short-term diseases.
For serious illnesses or long-term conditions, if the master finds it difficult to cover all costs, the worker may apply for partial assistance from the trade union’s hardship relief fund.
Fifth Agreement: The customary three-year apprenticeship period may be maintained, but efforts should be made to accelerate the acquisition of skills as much as possible.
After completing the apprenticeship, if the employer requires additional staff due to business expansion, the two parties may voluntarily agree to continue the employment relationship, with wages to be negotiated separately.
Should no further employment be available, the master is expected, in the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance, to help the apprentice find alternative employment in accordance with local traditions.
Sixth Agreement: Internal employment relationships among workers should be managed in a manner that promotes production, fosters solidarity, and encourages resolution through consultation.
Medical expenses shall be governed by industry-specific contracts; where no such contracts exist, customary practices shall prevail.
Other matters shall be handled in accordance with trade union regulations, with both sides seeking mutually acceptable solutions in cases of practical difficulty.
Seventh Agreement: Any disputes arising in labor–management relations should be resolved through consultation, guided by the principles of promoting production and safeguarding the interests of both labor and management.
Where necessary, mediation or arbitration by the labor authorities, or even a court ruling, may be sought.
Eighth Agreement: Temporary workers may be dismissed upon expiration of their contracts without being treated as laid-off employees.
Ninth Agreement: Working hours in semi-mechanized workshops and artisanal establishments shall generally not exceed ten hours per day; in smaller shops and studios, daily working hours should typically not exceed twelve hours.
Tenth Agreement: Annual rest days, including both traditional holidays and newly designated ones, are provisionally set at forty-five to seventy days, with specific arrangements to be determined by each locality and industry through consultation (fixed holidays such as three days for Spring Festival, one day for New Year’s Day, two days for National Day, and one day for May Day, with full pay; other holidays according to customary practice). Additionally, grassroots trade union officials may hold no more than two production-day meetings per month, and general worker activities must not encroach upon production time.
These ten agreements shall come into effect only after review, approval, and official registration by the government. [4] Following Mao Zedong’s instructions, Deng Zihui drafted a telegram on behalf of the CPC Central Committee concerning handicrafts issues.
Mao subsequently made two revisions and added the title “Directive of the CPC Central Committee on the Importance of Attaching Great Significance to Handicrafts.”
On March 31, 1953, during his first review of the draft telegram, Mao revised the original sentence “Handicrafts occupy a major share in the national economy, constituting the second largest economic component after agriculture and serving as an indispensable form of economic activity today” to read “Handicrafts occupy a major share in the national economy and have been an indispensable form of economic activity over a long historical period”; he added the parenthetical remark “This transition will take several decades” after the phrase “before the era of agricultural use of handicraft tools comes to an end”; and following the statement “Currently, sixty to seventy percent of farmers’ means of production (such as farm implements and fertilizers) and their means of subsistence (including cloth, towels, shoes and socks, tobacco, etc.)…” he inserted the passage “In some cases, this figure rises to around eighty percent, entirely dependent on supplies from urban and rural handicraft industries,” then added another parenthetical note: “In other words, the materials currently supplied by modern industry account for only about forty, thirty, or twenty percent of rural needs.”
On April 2, Mao reviewed the draft again and, after the third clause—which stated, “The unclear demarcation and improper handling of the three distinct types of relationships in the handicraft sector—labor–management, employment, and master–apprentice—as well as the coercive imposition of joint ventures and cooperatives, have to varying degrees undermined handicraftsmen’s enthusiasm for production, leading them to hesitate to boldly hire workers or apprentices, increase capital, or expand operations—these issues all require careful attention and step-by-step resolution”—he appended the following: “On the other hand, there still exist certain handicraft capitalists and artisans who subject workers and apprentices to poor treatment, a situation that likewise warrants proper handling.”