Speech at the Conference of Provincial, Municipal, and Autonomous Region Party Secretaries: Version I
(January 27, 1957)

Source: Kau & Leung, The Writings of Mao Zedong 1949-1976, Vol. II
Pages 246-275
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Speech at the Conference of Provincial. Municipal,
and Autonomous Region Party Secretaries

(January 27, 1957)
Version I

Source: Xuanji, V, pp. 339-362. Available English Translation: SW, V, pp.
350-383. One excerpt quoted in Jiaoyu yulu, p. 16.

See text Jan. 18, 1957, source note. Owing to the apparent similarities of topics covered and
specific remarks actually made by Mao in this document and in the one that follows (text
Jan. 27, 1957[2]), whose sources are Wansui (1969) and Wansui (n.d. 3), we believe that
these are actually two versions of the same speech. We accept as authoritative the date given
by Xuanji, V, for this speech.

These two versions of the January 27 speech are very different in length and presentation
even though quite similar in other respects, and it is difficult to compare them even on a
paragraph-by-paragraph basis. Therefore we have chosen to present them sequentially,
beginning with the Xuanji version. We should note here that Xuanji provides a specific date
for this speech, but without specifying that it was a summation of the conference, whereas
Wansui (1969) and Wansui (n.d. 3 ) merely give January 1957 as a date, and yet label the
speech as a summation. These sources also leave out “autonomous region” in the title.

In reading these two versions, it is important to remember that while some differences