Commentary on
“Measures Taken by Shanxi and Henan Provinces to Strengthen the Theoretical Workforce”
[1]
(March 16, 1958)


Forwarded for discussion. Shanxi’s approach is very good; all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions may follow suit.
Mao Zedong
March 16


[I] This commentary was written on the twenty-seventh issue of “Propaganda and Education Briefing,” compiled and printed by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in March 1958. The issue contained an article titled “Measures Taken by Shanxi and Henan Provinces to Strengthen the Theoretical Workforce,” which stated:


Both the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the CPC and the Henan Provincial Committee issued directives in January 1958 concerning the strengthening of the theoretical workforce.


The Shanxi Provincial Committee called for, starting in 1958 and over the course of the Second Five-Year Plan—or even longer—to train a contingent of theoretical cadres who had systematically studied the classic works of Marxism-Leninism (especially those of Comrade Mao Zedong), possessed a certain amount of practical work experience, exhibited outstanding political integrity, maintained sound ideological consciousness, and could integrate theory with practice. The specific targets were: each county was to train at least two to four such personnel, each prefectural or municipal party committee five to ten, and provincial-level organs thirty to forty. It was further stipulated that the staffing and reassignment of theoretical instructors should be carried out conscientiously by the end of February, with a total quota for in-service theoretical instructors being set, along with criteria for selecting them and procedures for their training and utilization.

The Henan Provincial Committee likewise required that the realignment and deployment of theoretical instructors be completed by the end of February, emphasizing that “just as we would support the cultural and educational front, we must, with the utmost determination, assign a group of outstanding cadres to reinforce this front,” and that, following this adjustment, such personnel generally should not be transferred to other duties. When endorsing this article, Mao Zedong deleted the phrase in parentheses—“especially those of Comrade Mao Zedong.” Both Mao’s commentary and the article were distributed at the Chengdu Conference as conference documents.