(February 1, 1955)
Comrade Shaoqi:
This document [1] may be issued for approval to all Party committees and government Party groups at the county level and above nationwide, and published in Party journals, so as to draw the attention of court personnel to improving their trial work style. As for the wrongly judged "gu poisoning" cases, they are merely manifestations of an unhealthy work style in a number of cases; emphasis should be placed on improving work style.
Mao Zedong
February 1

[1] This instruction is written on the report submitted to the Central Committee by the Party Group of the Supreme People's Court on January 21, 1955, concerning the submission of the Hunan Provincial People's Court's examination of the "gu poisoning" cases in Suining County.
[2] Refers to the Hunan Provincial People's Court's examination report dated October 28, 1954, on the "gu poisoning" cases in Suining County. The report states that in remote border counties such as Suining, Jingxian, and Huitong in western Hunan, the superstitious legend of "gu poisoning" has existed since before liberation, with Suining being the most serious. The so-called "gu poisoning" legend says that poisonous insects such as centipedes, black smoke insects, and beetles are scorched and ground into powder, which "gu women" hide under their fingernails in advance and secretly place into drinks and food; whoever consumes it will be struck by "gu." This legend has caused deep fear among the masses in the Suining area, and some district and township cadres also firmly believe it. The county people's court blindly accepted a large number of so-called "gu poisoning" cases, and during the trial process, emphasized confessions over evidence, even resorting to erroneous interrogation methods such as coerced confessions and induced confessions, making arbitrary arrests and detentions, resulting in a large number of wrongful convictions. This not only caused unjust imprisonment for the defendants, but also, through the adjudication of "gu poisoning" cases, effectively legally acknowledged the existence of "gu poisoning" and supported the spread of the superstitious legend among the masses. The report states that people's courts at all levels throughout the province should conduct a complete review of all previously adjudicated "gu poisoning" cases; all wrongful convictions should be immediately rehabilitated, and a profound examination of the roots of the errors should be made, with concrete measures for improving trial work conscientiously formulated. The report also suggests conducting effective propaganda and education work, requesting health departments to cooperate in disseminating scientific medical knowledge to dispel the doubts and fears regarding the "gu poisoning" superstition, so as to curb the continued spread of "gu poisoning."