Issued
Comments on the Article “Several Opinions on Current Literary and Artistic Work”
[1]
(January 7, 1957)


Comrade Shang Kun:
Please circulate this article to the Politburo, the Secretariat, and all comrades who will be attending the meeting mid-month.
Mao Zedong
January 7
[1]


Refers to the article “Several Opinions on Current Literary and Artistic Work,” published in the People’s Daily on January 7, 1957, by Chen Qitong, Chen Yading, Ma Hanbing, and Lu Le. The article states that over the past year, there has been a growing tendency to advocate less and less for literature and art serving workers, peasants, and soldiers, as well as for the creative method of socialist realism. Some people argue that since the country has entered a new phase of socialist construction, it is sufficient to emphasize “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend,” and that the orientation toward serving workers, peasants, and soldiers no longer needs to be stressed. Throughout the past year, there has been vigorous opposition to “formulaism and conceptualization”; however, certain ambiguities in this struggle have been misinterpreted or exploited by some as pretexts for challenging the notion that art should serve politics, possess high ideological content, and function as a weapon for educating the broad masses. The article further notes that the policy of “letting a hundred flowers bloom” has indeed produced several appealing works in literature and art over the past year; yet the most important among these blossoms should be those that are new, rooted in socialist realism, and springing forth from the fertile soil of the people’s new life. Since the proposal of the “hundred flowers” policy, many have become overly enthusiastic about reviving old styles while neglecting the cultivation of fresh, innovative creations. A “hundred flowers” policy that fails to nurture and protect new artistic forms cannot be considered fully sound. During the National Conference on Propaganda Work in March 1957, Mao Zedong repeatedly criticized this article, asserting that its assessment of the situation was erroneous, that its approach was dogmatic, metaphysical, and one-sided, and that its real purpose was simply to obstruct the policies of “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.” On August 21, 1957, Chen Qitong and Chen Yading published an article titled “Overcome Dogmatism and Join the Anti-Rightist Struggle” in the People’s Daily, in which they offered a self-criticism regarding their earlier work.