On Editing
“The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside”
Comments and Letters [1]
(September–December 1955)

(1) Arrange by region and compile a table of contents (using the titles as they appear on each article, not the general headings for each province or municipality in the original documents).
(2) For several pieces, have Lu Yan [2] verify the sources of the materials and note them beneath the title of each article.
(3) Proofread once and make revisions to the wording to render it more accessible.
(4) Within a few days, first print several clean proofs, at least one copy each for Mao, Tian, Qiaomu, and Boda [3].

*Mao Zedong presided over the editing of the book* The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside *on two separate occasions:*
*The first was in September 1955, when the book was tentatively titled* How to Run Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives; *the second was in December 1955, when the scope was broadened, the selections were re-edited, and the title was changed to* The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside. *Items one through seven below are comments and letters written by Mao Zedong in September and October 1955 while editing* How to Run Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives; *items eight and nine are two letters written by Mao Zedong in December 1955 while editing* The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside.
[2] Lu Yan, namely Liao Luyan, then deputy director of the Rural Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and minister of agriculture.
[3] Tian refers to Tian Jiaying, then secretary to Mao Zedong and deputy director of the General Office of the president of the People’s Republic of China. Qiaomu, namely Hu Qiaomu, then deputy secretary-general of the CPC Central Committee and secretary to Mao Zedong. Boda, namely Chen Boda, then deputy director of the Rural Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and secretary to Mao Zedong.

On Editing “The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside”
Comments and Letters
If possible, also send one copy each to Liu, Zhou, and Xiaoping [1].
(5) Strive to print four hundred copies (sample copies) by the end of the month or early next month.
(6) Use the People’s Publishing House; inform Shangkun [2].

Comrade Tian Jiaying:
The final portion is enclosed; please send it to be typeset. The *People’s Daily* from late August carried an article on the cooperativization of the Xingtai area written by the secretary of the Xingtai Prefectural Party Committee [3]; please locate it and have it added to the section on Hebei Province. In addition, please consult Comrade Liao Luyan about looking through the *People’s Daily* from January through September of this year to see if there is any good (must be very good) material that can be used.

Mao Zedong
September 24

Comrade Tian Jiaying:
Please send to the printing house to be corrected accordingly. The titles for each province and for each article are all to be corrected as I have altered them on the table of contents. The rest need not be sent to me for review today.
Quickly produce eight copies (add one copy for Comrade Chen Yun [1]), best delivered to the various comrades this afternoon or evening.
You and Qiaomu each take half and thoroughly carry out one round of stylistic revisions, including making the titles more vivid; please inform Qiaomu.

Mao Zedong
September 27, 4 a.m.

IV
Return to Jiaying.
All reviewed. Where revisions have been made, please instruct the printing house to correct accordingly. It begins from page 214, not from page 204. For the pages before 214, please send them again for one more review. Some further revisions have been made to the titles after page 214, which differ somewhat from those altered on the table of contents yesterday; please take note.

V
Return to Jiaying.
Mao Zedong
September 27

Some revisions have been made to the titles and subtitles; please instruct that they be corrected accordingly. A few articles lack the names of publications or are not marked with dates; these should be checked and filled in. Since the editorial notes have already been revised, no further changes have been made to them on this copy.

Comrade Tian Jiaying:
Please print according to the revised wording.

Mao Zedong
September 28

VI
Mao Zedong
October 1, evening

All pages from 505 onward have been reviewed and are enclosed. There are two matters to which you should attend:
(1) The table of contents must be corrected to match the revised wording of each article’s title;
(2) Where the editorial notes have been revised, the corrections must be copied onto this master copy accordingly. The book (sample copies) is to be produced on October 4; please be sure to quickly complete the corrections and send it to print.

VII
Do not add quotation marks,
because this refers to a malignant tumor on the human body; for the cooperatives it is a metaphor,
not a direct reference to the cooperatives.
Deleted.

VIII
Comrade Tian Jiaying:
I am sending the bulk of the proofs up to Jiangxi; please immediately send them for revised typesetting. For every province and municipality, place the articles that have editorial notes at the front. For the titles that have been changed, take care to correct them in the table of contents. Only a very few editorial notes need to be transcribed neatly for typesetting; the majority need not be transcribed.

Mao Zedong
December 15, 5 a.m.

IX
Comrade Tian Jiaying:
Reviewed. Please send to typeset immediately; correct according to this copy without error. There is no need to send it for review to other comrades, and I shall not review it again either.

Mao Zedong
December 20, 6 a.m.

How about titling the book *The Orientation of Five Hundred Million Peasants*? If we use this title, then we must place that supplementary selection “The Orientation of Five Hundred Million Peasants” in the first position; please deliberate and decide.

--- Notes

[1] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Xiaoping, namely Deng Xiaoping, then secretary-general of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council.
[2] Shangkun, namely Yang Shangkun, then deputy secretary-general of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Committee.
[3] Refers to the article “It Is Entirely Possible to Run Agricultural Cooperatives Better and More Numerous,” written by Li Jiping, secretary of the CPC Xingtai Prefectural Committee, published in *People’s Daily* on September 4, 1955. This article was later not included in *How to Run Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives* or *The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside*.


[1] Chen Yun, then secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council.