Talks at the Hangzhou Conference (Draft Transcript)

Date: 1958-01-03
Source: Secret Speeches of Chairman Mao: From the Hundred Flowers to the Great Leap Forward
        (Harvard University Press, 1989), ed. Roderick MacFarquhar, Timothy Cheek, Eugene Wu

---

talists, we are transforming them away [huadiao]. In reality, in the’
end [we] (will transform away) the bourgeoisie: How can that bea
branded rightist? [It’s] still the October Revolution. If [we] do every. J
thing like the Soviet Union after the October Revolution, there willd
be no cloth, no grain (without cloth you can’t exchange for grain), no|
coal mines, no electricity, no nothing. They lacked experience, while
[we gained] a lot when running our base areas. [We] have left bureau.
cratic capital (the system of production) intact, even more so in the4
case of the national bourgeoisie. But there’s change within non- 4
change. Nationwide, there are 700,000 households of capitalists and#
several millions of bourgeois intellectuals; without them [we] canta
run newspapers, engage in science, or operate factories. Some people'4
say [you've] turned “right.” Such a “right” is necessary, [we] must ‘fi
fal
transform [them] slowly. The correct handling of contradictions ‘#
a
among the people is precisely the implementation of this policy, 4
Some are half enemy, half friend; others are one-third or more enemy.
We've spent seven years and 1.2 billion renminbi to harness the §
a ki.
Fluai River. [This] amount for harnessing the Huai is worthwhile
even if [we] give it a 30 percent discount (there are some quality prob- ..
lems). Our estimate in the original plan was low; later [we] incurred ¥
cost overruns, Criticizing rightist conservatism is very comforting; 4
the more [one] criticizes, the happier [one] is. The enthusiasm of 4
more than 10 million people in Gansu is very high; [it’s] worth 4
studying. a
The Twelve Articles must be grasped; from now on, [we'll] com- a
pare and appraise. First, water [conservancy]. Second, fertilizer.
Third, soil. Fourth, planting (of fine varieties of food products). a
Fifth, system changes, like double cropping, changing from late to 4
early planting, changing from dry to paddy rice. Sixth, eliminating a
plant diseases and pests (100 million catties of grain were lost in Zhe- 4
jlang to insect pests; then in one summer all the insects were wiped 4
out. Japan has no [31] Marxism but is already free of insect pests. We |
have Marxism). Seventh, mechanization (new farm tools: two- 4
wheeled, double-shared plows,! water pumps, and so on). Eighth, live-
These plows had already proved to be white elephants in southern China; see Origins 1,
pp. 90, 123, 127.
Hangzhou Conference
Ninth, side-line occupations. Tenth, making things green,
ck. rene :
tt -estation. Eleventh, eliminating the four pests.2 Twelfth, curing
afto
| and practicing hygiene.
dis other Twelve Articles must also be grasped, [and] must be comred and appraised, too. First, industry. Second, handicraft industry.
pird, agriculture. Fourth, side-line occupations. Fifth, forestry;
sixth, fisheries. Seventh, animal husbandry. Eighth, transportation.
Ninth, commerce. Tenth, science. Eleventh, culture and education.
health.
Ate ony Articles? will be revised in the third, fourth, or hith
ear of the second FYP; [then we'll] criticize [our] right deviation
with pleasure. In 1956 the value of industrial production increased by
31 percent; without the leaps and bounds of 1956, [we] wouldn't have
been able to fulfill the [1953-1957 first FYP]. [We'll] make comparisons in March this year, again in the summer, then again when [we]
hold the Party Congress in October.* Provinces [should be] compared
with provinces, counties with counties [and] APCs with APCs. If
everyone agrees, [we'll] discuss how to do it again. Everyone should
go visit other provinces; if you go visit but don't get out and about,
then if [you] lose by comparison, it serves you right. It’s well worthwhile to make a trip to Gansu.
[We] must plan thoroughly, check up a few times [a year], compare and appraise at the end of the year; hold a few meetings, hold
small meetings, making sure we've got the prefecture and county secretaries on board. Meetings of prefectural party secretaries should be
held once every two months, each time for no more than five days;
the county committees should go to the prefectural committees to
hold meetings (it’s more interesting to have several prefectural party
committees holding a conference jointly). Large-scale “extraordinary
*Four pests: rats, sparrows, flies, mosquitoes. In 1960, bed bugs were substituted for sparrows when it was realized that the extermination of these birds had permitted insect pests
to flourish; see Origins 2, pp. 21-4, 305. | . 1
*Forty Articles: The extravagant 12-Year Agricultural Program, which had 40 articles, ha
been launched in January 1956, quietly dropped Jater in the year, and revived in autumn,
1957; see Origins 1, pp. 27-9, 90-1, 314-5. | '
*The 2nd session of the 8th Party Congress was, in fact, held in May 1958, presumably
brought forward to provide a launching pad for the GLF.
sessions” should be held only once or twice a year. [We] mug sal
some attention [to this] once every two months; otherwise, a y.: a
will fly by just like that. The comparison and appraisal of the provisil
ces [can be done] at Central Committee meetings. Bi.
I myself talk with people four times a year. I travel a bit every a
where, each time for two or three days, visiting five or six units, |
There should be forty articles for industry, as well. Science and oyfifl
ture and education should have them, too. First [let] a few nd i
draw up some suggestions, then others will have their input [anf
well get somewhere. 4
Nationwide, [we should] establish several economic coordinatigy me
regions;> some provinces can have overlapping [jurisdictions]. [Wed |
should identify temples rather than deities. There should be this a
ik ; if .
dition: As long as there is a temple, no matter who’s in charge, w i 7
let him take the lead; as long as he can make a go of it, that'll be final
Sha Wenhan and Yang Siyi are something else.® 4
There is a report from the Hubei provincial party committee aj oii
leading cadres personally running experimental fields; the Center hai
approved it and passed it on. Have [you] read it? It’s very importangy a
[We] must make widespread experiments. Pi
[32] On the problems of accumulation and consumption. Exa lad
how large should accumulation be? Some suggest 45 percent, sot .
50 percent, some 55 percent. The best is half and half. Depending of a0
the year’s harvest, and on the area, [we should] make several types @ on ‘
regulations. Distributing 60 percent [of the harvest] is not the now
mal rule; [it’s used) when there is a drop in production. [We] must @ 7
industrious and thrifty in managing four nation]; individual cori
sumption should be kept down; [we] must oppose extravagance .4 a
weddings and funerals. Every province should put up a proclamatiog@ "
banning gambling. Weddings and funerals should all be kept simple \
Make your own wine at home; it’s not good to ban [that] oma fe
Don’t forbid firecrackers, for they have the effect of inspiritt
enthusiasm. ‘e
Politics and professional work should be combined; this again #
the problem of red and expert. Politics is called red (for us it’s red, fol fi
These regions were established in 1 June 1958. See Text 17, n. 18. 4
°Sha Wenhan and Yang Siyi were senior members of the Zhejiang provincial party who?
had been purged as “rightists” the previous month; see Current Background 487 (Hong
Kong, U.S. Consulate General). if
he
a
a
filangzpou Conference
[United States it’s white). Red and expert are the unity of opthe The two are not the same; they differ. One has to do with the
‘rit, the other with material things. Some responsible comrades in
$ fexsional departments seldom mention politics when they talk; it
ro ; {they] normally don’t talk much about politics. [They’re] too
show once [they ] start talking, it’s always about professional work. It
aay be worse in the case of those in charge of professional work in
a provinces. [We] must definitely criticize any tendency to lack
- aterest in politics; at the same time, [we] must oppose empty-headed
rkongtow] politicians. It’s good to understand something about protessional work; otherwise [you'll] be red in name but not in reality. [If
you] don’t understand agriculture, [youll] be no good at directing
agriculture. Get involved in running experimental fields, and the
roblem of red and expert will be solved. One type is the emptyheaded politician who doesn’t understand any professional work; the
other type is the economist or other technocrat who has lost his bearings; neither is good. Analyze it a bit. But when [you] criticize
others, examine yourself first. You yourself are a little empty-headed,
(and you] don’t know much about it [either]. Last year, the Premier
looked into the problems of wages and welfare. I've visited an industrial exhibition in Beijing; seeing once is not enough. [I] still need to
see more.
Rectification should be carried out thoroughly; it should not be
left half finished. What Shanghai calls the third type of person knows
only how to be an official; [we] must wipe out bureaucratic airs.
Shanghai suggests [we] must have enthusiasm: very good. Zhejiang
Daily's editorial “Promoters or Regressers” should be reprinted in the
People’s Daily.
Rectification should combat waste; it shouldn’t take too long; a
tew days will do. Rectification and reform [zhenggat] should be comined. Make it a special topic for blooming; after blooming, every-
One will be alert. Every member of a family should promote [this]
rough education [and] should be industrious and thrifty in managing households.
When should the plan be handed in? Provinces, prefectures, countes, and APCs should all be engaged in it. Start with a rough outline
on how to economize; the assignment should be finished in six
Months.
osites-
JIS 1
[33] 4 JANUARY 1958
Everyone should take a look at Li Da’s article in the fifth issue of py, a
osophical Research and Feng Youlan’s in the sixth issue.” Formal lop:
is the science of the stage of quantitative change; [it’s] a componensall
of dialectics. Quantitative change and qualitative change form + A
unity of opposites. Everything has its relative regularity. Making a
plan or a resolution, each has its relative balance. After [everything¥f
is set, there is still change. Balance, consolidation, unity .. . all arg
temporary, while imbalance and contradiction are absolute. Every
one who attends conferences thinks of the break-up time; the longex
the conference lasts, the more [you] want the meeting to be over, e
Formal logic is very like elementary mathematics; dialectical logig4
is like advanced mathematics. This idea is worth studying. Cut the cirs
cumference into tens of thousands of pieces and it'll become square.#i4
Circles and squares are the unity of opposites. 4
re
various departments of science. i
[I] talked about the two Twelve Articles yesterday; no [I'll] make:
some additional remarks: 4
First, [we] need to grasp firmly [all] the Twelve Articles on water}
fertilizer, soil and so on, to achieve the proper balance. To have water."
and not fertilizer or to have manure and no water will not work; 4
[they’re] interrelated. After ten years (or perhaps even longer), elec- q |
trification will be adopted in agriculture, in plowing. Livestock farm: “9
’ Alternate text 6A:89 gives the full names of the two authors, while the primary text gives q
only Xs. Li Da’s “Criticize Fei Xiaotong’s comprador sociology” appeared in Zhexue yanjiu 4
1957:5:1-14. No article by Feng Youlan appeared in the sixth issue, but his “Once again on ff
the problem of inheriting China’s philosophical legacy” did appear in Zhexue yanjiu ™
1957.5:73-81; 73-81, and to this Mao presumably refers. Both articles reflect the returned a
constraints on intellectual life that had come about in the Anti-Rightist Movement. 4
*In the text, the word is “straight” (zz); but “square” (fang), which is in the alternative text,“
6A:89, fits better with the next sentence. a
fHiangzpou Conference
related to manure [collection]; [it’s] also [a source] of energy,
ng i DoD,
Me and industrial raw materials. Eliminating the four pests conpower; [it] improves physical strength and unleashes the
second, [we] must firmly grasp the Twelve Articles on industry,
handicraft industry, and agriculture. ,
Third, combat waste. [According to] reports from Shanghai, the
Meilin Canned Food factory wasted 450,000 [yuan] in four years,
amounting to half its capital. Eight years [of this] and you could
build an identical factory [from its wastage]. This is a widespread
roblem. If every factory, school, [governmental] organ, and APC
would practice [thrift], much material could be saved. Everything
must have its proof; without proof people will not [34] believe. One
report 1s enough. It’s enough to dissect one sparrow; it’s not necessary to dissect all that many. |
In rectification, ten days should be used exclusively to combat
waste (from starting blooming to reform, ten or fifteen days should
be enough). [We] can save billions [of yuan].
Fourth, the ratio between consumption and accumulation should
be seriously studied. The ratios include 45 percent, 50 percent, 55 percent, and 60 percent, and so on. All the various ways of division
should be studied. It should be grasped by the spring or there will be
no time for it. This is a major problem. If [we] don’t handle it well,
the workers and peasants will be dissatisfied. In 1954 [we] collected
96 billion catties [of grain], thus offending hundreds of millions of
peasants. This year [we will collect] 85 billion catties,? a target temporarily set for three years. I am inclined toward [the ratio of] 50 percent, depending on whether the harvest is poor or a bumper one.
Combining this with industrious and thrifty domestic management,
[we] can make a go of it. Weddings and funerals and other celebrations should all be kept simple.
Fifth, [we] should run experimental fields. (The report) of the
Hubei provincial party committee on experimental fields is a good
report.
op: ; | ay: .
Eighty-five billion catties [jin] is approximately 42.5 million tons. In fact, collection in 1958
was 55.7 million tons; see table in Nicholas R. Lardy, Agriculture in China’s Modern Eco-
“omic Development (Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1983), p. 34.
IOI
(XX interjects: Because of the editorial note appended by
People’s Daily, the report of the Zhejiang provincial committee ; Is § "
ting public attention.) a
“a it
[Chairman:] From now on no book of translations can be r .-
lished without a preface. The first edition should have a preface. #3
revised second edition should also have a preface. The Communi
Manifesto has any number of pretaces. How should we view todjil
the many things from the seventeenth and eighteenth centurieg
This, too, is the combination of theory and Chinese reality; it j ing
very important matter. oe
Sixth, red and expert, politics and professional work, are the unis E
of opposites. Both aspects should be criticized. Being concerned ong i
with politics without familiarity with professional work is not 00 ,
Politics together with professional work are precisely red and exp or ‘
To require all those who engage in politics also to be experts presen iv
difficulties, but [they] should specialize a little in the principal ps sia
[of their work]. The experimental fields under the Hubei provinci
party committee seem very effective. Yet they haven’t been runic
[them] very long. : 4
Seventh, wipe out bureaucratic style. That’s what Shanghai hay i
proposed. Don’t act like an official; wipe out the bureaucratic styf
altogether, and be on the same plane as the common people.
Eighth, hand in plans on time.
Ninth, eliminate the four pests.'° Begin a patriotic health cant
paign with the elimination of the four pests as its center. Haver
thorough checkup once every week. “Five years depends on thré e
years; three years depends on the first.”!1 This is well said. 4
Tenth, making things green, afforestation. We must master it i i‘
year, make a plan and do it in a big way. I have heard that a tree & (
over three zhang [35] in height absorbs and diffuses in one day mort
than one ton of water. Will this effect underground water?
r at
Has
‘©The campaign against the four pests figures very little in Mao’s remarks at the Hangzhow j
conference, but it was his visit to a model health unit in the city that sparked the massi¥ ‘
drive that started later in the month; see Origins 2, p. 22. The admonition in this paragraph §
must have ranked as a preliminary directive. :
'!This slogan means that success in a FYP depends on going all out in the first three years |
and that success in a three-year enterprise depends on going all out for a breakthrough in| 4
the first. E
Hangzhou Conjerence
[during] the second FYP, the value of the output of local
. in the provinces should surpass the (value) of agricultural
indu strie n (i ncluding the industries which have been decentralized
rodu an agement). There should be equilibrium in the whole
ro 100" there cannot be anarchism.
nations ch methods of holding meetings. There should be large,
ediam. and small scale [meetings]. “Extraordinary meetings ” (for
each province) (such as party congresses) once or twice a year.
Medium-sized [meetings should be] a few dozen to two or three hundred people (such as county committee secretaries’ conferences);
small-sized ones [are] like prefectural secretariat conferences, Go
down and attend their conferences to understand them. “Extraordinary meetings” should discuss politics. Professional meetings should
also discuss politics.
Thirteenth, provincial party secretaries and members of the provincial party committees should take turns getting out of their
offices. [Tour around] for four months a year. Go everywhere. Use
two methods: [you] can view flowers from horseback or get off your
horse and look at the flowers. Staying at a place to talk [only] for
three or four hours, or staying a week or two, either is fine. There 1s
no need to stay at one place for three or four months.
Fourteenth, within our ranks, don’t do any entertaining. Dont
ask others to treat you at a restaurant; don’t give welcome and sendoff parties; don’t specialize in giving dance parties; and don’t take people to the theatre. Whoever goes to greet a guest at the airport, this
person who is being greeted will be punished. This is one way of wiping out bureaucratic practices.
Fifteenth, on the two types of contradictions. One is contradictions between the enemy and ourselves. The other is contradictions
among the people. There are two types of contradictions among the
People. One has the character of class struggle. The other has the
character of [contradictions] among the working class, the laboring
People, between the advanced and the backward. Contradictions
among the people divide into two types. One is the contradiction
‘tween the proletariat [on the one hand] and the bourgeoisie and
Petty bourgeoisie [on the other]—this is a class contradiction. There
are also contradictions among the laboring people—this is the contraiction among the laboring people. Some [of these contradictions]
ave the character of class struggle, such as wife-beating, even going
Ele venth,
IOI
so far as wife-killing because of the influence of feudal ideas. Oy fog
instance, liberalism, individualism (which is bourgeois and pet.
bourgeois ideology), absolute egalitarianism (a very boa . 4
ideology) all reflect problems of the private ownership system 5
Others [of these contradictions] belong [to the realm of problems best |
tween] the advanced and the backward. [This] is a problem of cognicl
tion, the inability to see through problems. For example, t ef
agricultural collectivization high tide—[I] couldn’t see quite clearly
when [we] held [our] conference in Beijing.!? After the conference [] lia
went down south to Shandong and other places only to find preag
changes in the situation there. Only then did [I] feel certain about |
writing the preface.!3 This was a contradiction between the advanced
and the backward—[36] the inability clearly to size up the situation,§
Some people obstinately refuse to try to increase output, asserting
that the conditions [for increase] don’t exist. [When] we launched recs :
June and July things had settled down. There are many things chat :
cannot be completely predicted. oy
The main and the quantitatively greatest contradictions: Clase | |
struggle is the main [contradiction]; it aims at overthrowing some:
thing. The Constitution stipulates three transformations. In reality (e
there are two transformations—transtorming the bourgeoisie and | ;
transforming the petty bourgeoisie. Class contradiction is (the main
contradiction) of the transitional period. [If] it is carried out well, all : j
will be over in another XX years. XX years plus eight years makes %
XX years. It won't take XX years. [If] we have a rectification like this 4 |
every year, we'll get rid of bourgeois ideology. The quantitatively |
greatest [contradiction] is between the advanced and the backward.
The contradiction with the vast number of middle-of-the-roaders ts ai
class contradiction. Among well-to-do middle peasants 40 percent | |
12The primary text says “at the beginning” (kazshi shi); the alternate text’s reading canslated 4 ,
here seems more likely. a
13Mao appears to be explaining away his sudden shift to a more ambitious collectivization ° P
policy in May 1955, which led to the criticism of the director of the CC’s Rural Work - 4
Department, Deng Zihui, who was loyally pursuing the more moderate policy agreed by : q
Mao only weeks earlier; see Jiang Boying, Deng Zibui zhuan (A biography of Deng Zihui) : a
(Shanghai, Renmin chubanshe, 1986), pp. 314-28. The preface to which Mao refers was to
the compilation of reports on cooperativization published under the title Soctalist Upsurge 4
in China’s Countryside in January 1956; see Origins 1, pp. 15, 26~7. It is not clear which of q
a number of possible conferences Mao means. :
Hangzhou Conference
an dorse the APCs, 40 percent are not so enthusiastic, [and] 20 per-
, want to withdraw from the APCs. [But] they don’t really want
en from the APCs, because those who are determined to
10 so are in the minority. About 5 percent are probably rightists,
but] they are still laboring people. Don’t categorize them as right-
‘sts; capture and release them seven times [to win them over}.'4
The causes that produce contradictions among the people:
1. The influence of bourgeois and petty bourgeois ideology on the laboring people. Individualism, liberalism, absolute egalitarianism [and] bureaucratism
(now attributable to the bourgeoisie) are all the influence of bourgeois and
petty bourgeois ideology.
7, Subjectivism as a cause. [When we] can’t aim accurately, can’t estimate adequately, that 1s rightist. [We] must regularly alert [ourselves] to advance in
accordance with the situation.
3. Leadership as a cause. [If] leadership is bit better, the advanced will be in the
majority and the backward in the minority. [You] can lead in this manner or
in that manner (for instance, Pingyang and Huangyan, two counties in Zhejiang, are different).
[You] need to dissect only one sparrow to understand the overall climate. How to exercise leadership merits study. A certain Liu Chuanyou of Shouzhang county in Shandong, goes deeply [among the
masses] to lead [them]. In western Shandong there was no tradition of
raising pigs, now every household raises two pigs, which also helps
improve the soil. In Zhejiang the oil plant and the winery in Tonglu
competed on their output under identical conditions. [Such] reports
on laggards pressing forward to catch up with the advanced are good.
The short commentary by Wang Pu in the People’s Daily is well written, containing dialectics (for both, see the 3 January People’s Daily).
[We] should propagandize theory; talk about dialectics; talk about
materialism, such as the superstructure and the economic base, production relations and production forces, which are the basic content
of historical [37] materialism.
Turn problems over in [your] mind often, talk them over with a
few comrades together, talk them over with your secretaries on a
14 Lok, ; .
A set, four-character phrase, gi gin qi zong, taken from one of Mao’s favorite novels, The
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which the third-century ap statesman Zhuge Liang captures and releases an adversary seven times until he gains the voluntary submission of his
Tival.
basis of equality, see what their viewpoints are, seek out a few part!
secretaries to discuss [things] with, not as decisions [already raked 1
but as brainstorming. To think over a few problems within a certaj a
period of time, to talk them over, is a very important method. Doni
call conferences before using your brain, before thinking things oveg i
Some things mature gradually. ae
Sixteenth, let’s talk about the theory of uninterrupted revolution
[buduan geming]. The uninterrupted revolution I am talking about ig
not the same as Trotsky spoke of. They are two [different] theories o Of
uninterrupted revolution. The steps of our revolution are:
i
1. Overthrowing the enemy and seizing power. This was accomplished in 1949,
2. The land revolution, which was basically completed in the three years between) Ni
1950 and 1952. ‘.
3. Another land revolution, a socialist one, now [I’m] talking about colectvizingl
the principal means of production. By 1955, this was also basically competed
Some leftover work remained in 1956. These three things followed closely
upon one another—two were resolved in three years, striking while the i iron | a
was hot. This was strategic: the intervals cannot be too long; there cannot be
any loss of momentum. [We] can’t go and establish a “New Democratic #
Order”; for if [we] do, [we'll] just have to spend more energy tearing it down'| i
again. Poland and Hungary “interrupted” the “momentum” of the time [and}
bourgeois ideology took root. The next push [for uninterrupted revolution} @
did not go well, for middle peasants and those even better off didn’t want to 6° a
in for collectivization. Bulgaria is a bit better—30 percent is cooperativized. |
4. The socialist revolution on the ideological and political fronts—the rectifica'f
tion campaign. This time it can be finished in the first half of this year. Bue |
we'll] have to do it again in the first half of next year.
5. There is still the technological revolution.
Steps 1 to 4 are all in the sphere of the economic base and thet
superstructure. Land reform is the destruction of the feudal system | q
of ownership. It has to do with production relations. The technolog- J :
ical revolution has to do with the production forces, managemen’ 7
methods, and operation. [This] must be done in the second FYP. }
[Steps] 1, 2 and 3 are over. The revolution on the ideological and polit- 4 a
ical fronts persists. A person can go moldy again after a year or two.
The emphasis, however, will be on the technological revolution. ‘Gi
Great numbers of technicians must be produced; we must encourage 4
[people] to learn from those good at technology. In factories and vil- :
Alangzhou Conference
tages there are elementary technicians. [38] The leading cadres of
Hongan county were originally empty-headed politicians. Later
rthey became} both red and expert. In industry, follow the direction
of Tonglu county, linking experiments with technological revolution
and combining politicians with technicians.
Beginning in 1958, [we] should emphasize the technological revolution while continuing to finish the ideological and political revolujon. Emphasize doing the technological revolution well. When
stalin raised the slogan that cadres are decisive in everything, he also
put forward the [slogan of] technological revolution. |
To emphasize doing a good job in the technological revolution
doesn’t mean there is no need to engage in politics. Politics and technology cannot be separated. Ideology and politics take command,
and politics is the guarantee of professional work.
The withering away of classes will be complete in another XX
years. After that, there will still be ideological and political struggle
(or call it revolution) between people, but of a different nature. It
wont be class relations, it will be a contradiction between the
advanced and the backward [among] the laboring people. The [nature
of the] struggle at that time will also be twofold: one will be the
influence of bourgeois ideology on the laboring people; the other
will be subjectivism—caused by consciousness or caused by leadership. Those who understand the art of Marxist leadership will be
better than those who don’t. The “theory of the nonexistence of
conflict” is metaphysics. Why did the Moscow Declaration include a
paragraph on dialectics? Because it applies to the past, the present,
and the future. In the future, when the whole world is unified, there
will still be two factions scrambling for power, because they do not
hold the same opinions. Putting out various newspapers, putting on
various shows, each side will try to win over the masses. There will
be ideological contests. Superstructure and ideology will still exist
then. So long as there are contradictions between production relations and production forces, and between the superstructure and the
economic bases, there will be three kinds of people; the left, middle,
and right. If the superstructure is in the hands of those who are stubborn and backward, there won't be any big contending and blooming. If mistakes are not corrected, there will be conflict. Even
without armies, it is still possible to fight with fists and clubs. At that
JIS7
39Q TEXT FIFTEEN
time, there will be no classes. If things are managed well, there wil] | ba
no antagonism; if they are not handled well, there will be antagonigp f -
[Two lines,] one progressive and one backward, are mutually cxclusie |
and antagonistic. After XX years, the function of state power in domeg
tic affairs will gradually cease to exist; all will have become laborizy :
people. Even now, as far as the laboring people are concerned, tha
power is already basically nonexistent. Only persuasion can be use
against the laboring people, not suppression. State power cannot by
used on the laboring people; using that power is suppression. It maj |
appear to be very “left,” [but] in fact it’s very right, the style of tha
Nationalist party. It’s absolutely necessary to dispel bureaucratic air a
[39] To put on an awe-inspiring air in front of the enemy is correcg
[but] it simply won’t work with the people. a
Seventeenth, politicians must understand some professional work :
In agriculture, run experimental fields; in industry, run trial producta i.
Make comparisons; comparisons are the unity of opposites. There i
an imbalance between enterprise and enterprise, between workshog :
and workshop within an enterprise, between small group and sma "
group, between individual and individual. Imbalance exists not only "
in social laws but also in the laws of the universe. Just as soon as equi :
librium is reached, it is immediately disrupted. No sooner is there equigg
librium than there’s disequilibrium. If you want to criticize ant :
appraise under broadly similar conditions, comparisons can be mada :
between the backward and the advanced; it’s not impossible. , ‘
Politicians should always understand some professional work iq
There should be comparison in technology, and in politics, too. Co "’
bine technology and politics, and see which one does better. A
Everyone look at a few articles (the Liberation Daily story of th
launching by Shanghai’s Meilin factory of contending and blooming :
on Opposition to waste, the report in the 3 January People’s Daily orf
the factories in Tonglu comparing output rates and Wang Pu’s com
mentary). One affair reflects on the affairs of the whole nation, and sag
everyone must consider other people’s good jobs as their own. In pracéf
tising socialism, no matter where the problem occurs, we should make}
it our Own. 4
As for the rightists among the students, 80 percent may remain is
school to continue studying. [We] should strengthen [our ideologicall§
work with them, [we] should keep interacting with students, gradually §
flangzpou Conserence
forming them. If they do some good deeds, they should be
am Of course, there are also some bogus activists.
pn ne at think that, following this rectification, everyone will take the
yellow River as a boundary, as if the boundary could be marked that
clear ly.”
15xfao is warning that even after rectification (and, of course, the Anti-Rightist Campaign)
he boundaries between right and wrong, progressive and backward will still be difficult to dist
cern.
I7Fl