Text Written on the Central Rural Work Department’s Briefing on the Recent Situation of the Agricultural Cooperativization Movement (July 29, 1955)

Comrade Xiaoping [1]: Please immediately circulate this document [2] to the secretaries of all provincial and municipal party committees as well as to those who should attend the meeting (members of the Politburo plus a number of cadres stationed in Beijing). After using the original, please return it to me. Mao Zedong July 29

I do not wish for the words I wrote on the side and back of this document [3] to be printed. Printed according to the manuscript.

II. Improving Farming Methods: (1) Deep plowing; (2) Dense planting; (3) Multiple cropping; (4) High-yield crops; (5) Early-maturing crops; (6) Seed selection; (7) Pest control, etc.

Improving Labor Organization: Implement piecework contracting.

Increasing Production: It is imperative to fulfill—and strive to exceed—the increased production targets set forth in the Five-Year Plan; reduction of output must absolutely be avoided.

Can we achieve this? Is our Party about to make a major mistake on this issue? Can we avoid the errors that the Soviet Union has already committed?

We must oppose both rightist and “leftist” erroneous viewpoints: (1) On the question of development, there is the choice between “no progress” and “over-ambition.” At present, the problem is not criticizing over-ambition or claiming that we have “gone beyond objective possibilities”; rather, the issue lies in criticizing the lack of progress—criticizing the failure to recognize and utilize the “objective possibilities,” namely, the enthusiasm among the broad masses of peasants, who suffer from land shortages and live in poverty or relative hardship, to advance along the socialist path. Yet some of our comrades fail to recognize and exploit this objectively existing potential. The dual nature of the peasantry—the contradiction between collective and individual modes of operation—whichever side prevails? Through propaganda and cooperative demonstrations, the idea of collective management will first gain the upper hand among one group, then among a second group, then among a third group, and finally among the majority, until it ultimately dominates throughout the entire population. We should gradually bring about this predominance over a period of fifteen years. (2) Regarding the transformation of ownership, that is, the rectification of policies: The problem of “milking” has already arisen. We should educate the peasants against such practices, rectify all relevant policies, and support poor farmers by providing them with loans—this is one aspect. At the same time, however, we must also educate middle peasants to consider the overall situation: as long as production increases and income exceeds previous levels, minor injustices incurred upon joining the cooperative can be overlooked. Both groups need to be educated to prioritize the greater good, rather than seeking total compromise, for total compromise would mean abandoning socialism. Our guiding principle is to combine unity with struggle.

3. We must maintain a firm direction and remain unwavering. If we want others to remain steadfast, we ourselves must first be unwavering. We should grasp the essential aspects of any issue, focusing on its dominant or mainstream features, so as not to lose our way.


The non-essential, secondary aspects must not be ignored; all existing problems must be addressed. However, these should not be regarded as the main current of events, lest they mislead our course.

Grain Supply: Will it be possible to implement the “three determinations”—determining quotas, rations, and purchase prices—at the household level before the autumn harvest? Is the material from Zhejiang [4] appropriate? I believe it is.

This year we must make significantly greater progress than in the past two years.

Two inspections are scheduled—one in October this year and another in May next year—with deputies to the National People’s Congress and representatives from various provinces and cities descending to the grassroots to conduct these checks.

The main areas of inspection will be: 1) the three grain determinations; 2) whether cooperatives are increasing production; and 3) the issue of waste in cities.

( ) Increasing means of production, improving management (rectifying policies, enhancing farming techniques, implementing piecework contracting), and boosting output.

Are we confident—meaning, are we not engaging in reckless ventures or going into battle unprepared?

Did we rush into establishing too many cooperatives last year?

Over the next year, the number of cooperatives is projected to increase from ten thousand to twenty thousand, representing an addition of nearly ten thousand new cooperatives; meanwhile, the number of households involved is expected to rise from one million to two million, an increase of one million households.

Is this feasible? The key lies in the next three years, with particular emphasis on the coming two years.

Serious efforts must be made to consolidate and establish cooperatives; consolidation should not occur just once a year, but several times annually.

Training and dispatching cadres, prioritizing local personnel while supplementing with outsiders, are essential.

Consolidation and establishment of cooperatives must begin with strengthening the Party organization within them.

Increasing Means of Production: 1) Land (deep plowing, reclaiming wasteland, removing field boundaries, etc.) ( ) ( ); 2) Livestock; 3) Farm tools; 4) Fertilizer; 5) Irrigation facilities. ( ) ( ) ( )

Improving Management and Rectifying Policies: ( ) the issue of livestock entering cooperatives; ( ) large agricultural implements entering cooperatives; ( ) the proportion of labor allocated to different tasks; ( ) investment matters; ( ) supplementary occupations and members’ free use of part of their labor force; 6) the question of landlords and rich peasants joining cooperatives; 7) the proportion of poor peasants among cooperative members (active elements should come from among the poor, newly emerging middle peasants at the lower end of the spectrum, as well as lower-level middle peasants and older middle peasants who are still relatively poor; during the First Five-Year Plan period, no passive elements from these groups were to be admitted, and wealthy middle peasants—whether affluent members of the old middle class or the new—were strictly prohibited; landowners and rich peasants were categorically excluded).

Printed according to Mao Zedong’s manuscript.

Notes [1] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at the time served as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.

[2] Refers to the briefing on the recent situation of the agricultural cooperativization movement, submitted by Division II of the Central Rural Work Department to Mao Zedong and others on July 26, 1955. The main content was as follows: First, during this spring’s farming season, there were over 670,000 agricultural cooperatives nationwide. Following nearly several months of reorganization, with some expanding and others shrinking, approximately 650,000 remain today. Second, all localities have made arrangements to consolidate and develop cooperatives, primarily focusing on rectifying policies, ensuring productive operations, rationally organizing labor, and implementing piecework contracting. They are also working to strengthen mutual aid teams as a foundation for establishing new cooperatives, training cooperative organizers, and preparing core members of these teams. Tasks are being assigned downward through the hierarchical system after provincial development plans have been broadly established, with counties and districts then making adjustments based on local conditions before finalizing the plans. Third, the development plan for the 1955–1956 fiscal year calls for expanding the existing 650,000-plus cooperatives to over 1.03 million, and increasing the number of participating households from more than 1.69 million to approximately 2.92 million. This document also included a “Table of Existing Cooperatives Across the Country and the 1956 Cooperative Establishment Plan.”

[3] Refers to the figures Mao Zedong wrote beside each column of the “Table of Existing Cooperatives Across the Country and the 1956 Cooperative Establishment Plan,” indicating the percentage increase in the number of households joining cooperatives in each province and municipality in 1956 compared to 1955, as well as a short passage he penned on the reverse side of the table, which constitutes Part II of this text.

[4] Likely refers to instructions issued by the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC on June 30, 1955, concerning the equitable treatment of members within agricultural cooperatives, addressed to its subordinate units and reported to the central authorities and the Shanghai Bureau. See note [2] on page of this volume.