Comments and Letters on Sanitation and the Campaign to Eliminate
the Four Pests
(December 1957)
I
To Comrade Hu Qiaomu [1]:
(1) This article [2] is good; it should be reprinted and broadcast.
(2) The Central Committee and the State Council should jointly issue
an instruction [3] calling for a nationwide mobilization to improve
sanitation and eradicate the four pests, to begin immediately and
proceed step by step. Please discuss this matter with Deng and Zhou
[4], designate someone to draft the document, and ensure its issuance
within two weeks.
(3) Following this, the People’s Daily should publish an excellent
editorial [5].

Mao Zedong
December 7
II
Comrade Qiaomu:
The notice on eliminating the four pests [6] still has shortcomings.
It lacks solidity and feels somewhat superficial, because it fails to
draw upon the rich experience already accumulated in various localities.
This reflects your own insufficient understanding of the issue. Now
that we have a wealth of such experience, you could devote about a
week to collecting and carefully reviewing reports from provinces,
cities, and counties across the country, thinking as you go to develop
a coherent set of ideas before putting pen to paper. Revise the draft
at least three or five times, convene one or two meetings with Peng
Zhen, Liu Ren [7], along with two or three experienced officials
involved in pest control in Beijing and two or three scientists, to
obtain their input and refine the document, ensuring logical clarity
and engaging, spirited language. The document may be somewhat long—
perhaps around 10,000 to 20,000 characters would be appropriate. In
short, it should leave readers feeling that the problem is being
addressed, instilling a hundredfold confidence and immense drive to
take action. The content should clearly explain how this effort can
inspire everyone, transform the nation, and contribute to eradicating
human, livestock, and crop diseases—this constitutes the theoretical
foundation. Subsequently, the practical methods should also be presented
in a convincing and accessible manner, so that they appear genuinely
feasible and free of jargon. To accomplish this, thorough research and
diligent study are essential. Finally, mention the role of Party secretaries
in taking the lead, as well as the involvement of newspapers, periodicals,
radio broadcasts, regular clean-ups, and periodic inspections, as concluding
points. It would be ideal if the document could be completed, approved,
and issued within two weeks. Please submit it to me for review once it is
finished.

As for the Moscow speech [8], please type it up again so I can review
it once more; I still believe there are aspects that require revision.

Mao Zedong
8:00 a.m., December 25th
Upon arriving in Jinan, you may spend a night there to engage in a
serious discussion. Bring back one copy each of the local struggle
documents and industrial and agricultural plans for careful study.

III
Comrade Qiaomu:
Here are a report, a feature story, an editorial, and several photos
that you might find useful. The People’s Daily could reprint them [9].
Please instruct Xinhua News Agency to pay close attention to reporting
on the campaign to eliminate the four pests and promote sanitation.

Mao Zedong
December 27th
Printed from the manuscript.
Notes
[1] Hu Qiaomu was then a candidate member of the Secretariat of the CPC
Central Committee and Mao Zedong’s secretary.
[2] Refers to the editorial “We Will Not Rest Until the Four Pests Are
Eliminated,” published in the Anhui Daily on December 4, 1957. It was
reprinted by the People’s Daily on December 8, 1957.
[3] The joint directive of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council
on eliminating the four pests and improving sanitation was issued on
February 12, 1958, and published in the People’s Daily the following day.
[4] Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC
Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Zhou refers to
Zhou Enlai.
[5] On February 13, 1958, alongside the publication of the joint directive
of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on eliminating the four
pests and promoting sanitation, the People’s Daily also published the
editorial “We Must Completely Eradicate the ‘Four Pests’ Throughout China.”
[6] Refers to the draft of the joint directive of the CPC Central Committee
and the State Council on eliminating the four pests and improving sanitation.
[7] Peng Zhen was then First Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal
Committee and Mayor of Beijing. Liu Ren was Second Secretary of the CPC
Beijing Municipal Committee.
[8] Refers to Mao Zedong’s three speeches delivered in November 1957 at
the Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties in Moscow. These speeches
were distributed to the delegates as documents of the Second Plenary Session
of the Eighth National Congress of the CPC in May 1958. See pages 625–626
of this volume.
[9] Refers to the report “Everyone Takes Action, Every Household Fights
Vigorously, Persisting Through All Seasons: Wuxing Nanxun Has Become a ‘Fly-
Free Town,’” the feature story “Old Lady Wang Ajin Actively Eliminates the
Four Pests,” the editorial “Eradicate the Four Pests,” and nine related
photographs, all published in the Zhejiang Daily on December 27, 1957. On
December 30 of the same year, the People’s Daily reprinted these materials,
retitling the report as “Everyone Takes Action, Every Household Fights
Vigorously, Persisting Through All Seasons: A Fly-Free Town—Wuxing Nanxun.”