Comments on
“Instructions from the CPC Central Committee Regarding the Conveyance of the National Propaganda Work Conference”
[1]
(March 16, 1957)
[I]
The “Instructions from the CPC Central Committee Regarding the Conveyance of the National Propaganda Work Conference” pointed out:
China has approximately five million intellectuals, who constitute a very important segment of the people and serve as educators of the masses. Without them, it would be impossible to build socialism. They can be divided into three groups: a tiny minority opposes socialism because they are deeply influenced by the exploiting classes; a small number, both inside and outside the Party, not only actively support the socialist system but have also fully adopted a communist worldview; and the vast majority are willing to accept the socialist system, though their worldviews are not yet entirely Marxist. This situation among intellectuals will persist for a long time. The purpose of the Party Central Committee’s policy of “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend” is to carry out long-term, patient, and meticulous Marxist propaganda among intellectuals through persuasion and free debate, rather than through coercive methods, so as to promote the rapid flourishing of China’s science, literature, and art under the guidance of Marxism. At present, there exist certain abnormal conditions in the relationship between the Party and the intellectuals, due to the presence within the Party of two anti-Marxist ideologies: dogmatism and right-wing opportunism. It is imperative to oppose these two erroneous tendencies both inside and outside the Party. The instructions also affirmed the important experience gained at the National Propaganda Work Conference in involving non-Party members, and required all provinces and municipalities to convene similar propaganda conferences, inviting participation from non-Party figures in education, literature and art, science and technology, journalism, and publishing, fully promoting democracy and encouraging them to express their true thoughts. The first secretaries of the provincial and municipal Party committees must personally lead the ideological work and direct the proceedings of these meetings. When reviewing this draft instruction, Mao Zedong made several textual revisions. For example, he changed the phrase in the draft that read, “At present, the class struggle has basically ended,” to “At present, the large-scale mass-class struggle has come to an end.”

Forwarded to Zhou, Chen, Peng Zhen, and Ding Yichuan for review. Shangkun [2] was instructed to transmit it by telegraph, and additional copies were to be printed accordingly.
Mao Zedong
4:00 p.m., March 16
I will travel to Tianjin by car today and to Jinan tomorrow.
[l]
“Use” refers to Zhou Enlai. “Chen” refers to Chen Yun, who at that time served as Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee. “Peng Zhen” was then a Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat. “Ding Yi” is Lu Dingyi, who at that time held the post of Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Department of Propaganda.
[2]
“Shangkun” refers to Yang Shangkun, who at that time was an Alternate Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and Director of the Central Office.