There are currently seventeen tasks:

(1) The Ten-Year Agricultural Plan: 1. Water Conservancy Planning: Nationwide large-scale water conservancy projects; in Gansu Province, over 1.1 million mu were planned for 1958, while our province originally set a target of 320,000 mu, which was considered conservative. This has now been increased to 920,000 mu (the entire province had only 940,000 mu before liberation). Although this seems adequate, it is still somewhat behind schedule. For 1958, the goal is to develop 940,000 to one million mu of irrigated land to resolve water management issues. 2. Fertilizer: Aim to apply over ten thousand jin of fertilizer to produce one thousand jin of grain per mu. 3. Soil Improvement: Specifically addressing saline-alkali soils, such as those in Qaidam Basin. 4. Selection of Superior Seeds. 5. Institutional and Technical Reforms: Improving agricultural practices through deep plowing and meticulous cultivation. 6. Eradication of Pests and Diseases. 7. Promotion of Modern Farming Tools, including agricultural machinery. 8. Development of Side Businesses: Emphasizing the relationship between side businesses and agriculture, with side activities intended to support farming. 9. Expansion of Draft Animal Husbandry. 10. Afforestation. 11. The “Four Pests” Campaign. 12. Elimination of Serious Infectious Diseases.

All of these twelve items require planning at the central, provincial, prefectural, county, district, township, and agricultural cooperative levels.

(2) There are another twelve plans: 1. Industrial Planning (primarily local industries); 2. Handicrafts; 3. Agriculture; 4. Side Businesses; 5. Forestry; 6. Fisheries; 7. Animal Husbandry; 8. Transportation; 9. Commerce; 10. Culture and Education; 11. Science; 12. Public Health. Plans must be formulated at the central, provincial, prefectural, and county levels, bringing the total to twenty-four items.

(3) The Issue of Wastefulness. A campaign against waste will be launched, with directives to be issued by the State Council. While corruption exists, it is relatively minor compared to widespread wastefulness, particularly in construction projects. Comrade ××× stated: “Waste is rampant—every factory, mine, and construction site suffers from it. If we can eliminate waste, we can accumulate funds for development.” He further noted regarding the Qaidam Basin project: “Salaries should not be reduced, regardless of oil output. I oppose any cuts.” Increased production involves two aspects: boosting output and practicing economy. Without thrift, even increased production results in waste.

(4) Properly Addressing Rural Accumulation and Consumption. In the first one or two years after collectivization, the policy of higher deductions and lower shares was adopted to highlight the advantages of cooperation. Now, the focus should be on increasing cooperative funds; such accumulation strengthens the collective. Without accumulated resources, the cooperative cannot be consolidated. One possible approach is to allocate 50% to the cooperative’s reserve fund and distribute the remaining 50%. Following collectivization, 26% of households have reached the productive level of well-off middle peasants. At present, the emphasis is on production rather than living standards. Rather than seeking better food and clothing, we need to work hard and persevere for five years. If each person reduces personal spending by just ten yuan, the savings would amount to six billion yuan—beneficial to the nation. Only through accumulation can we undertake construction, and only through construction can there be hope. Methods of accumulating funds include: first, state-level accumulation (including enterprise and public welfare funds); second, cooperative accumulation (cooperative reserve and public welfare funds); third, tax revenues collected by the state.

A nationwide lesson has been learned: some projects fail when solely funded by state investment, whereas those undertaken independently often succeed. Relying heavily on rural labor for water conservancy projects has proven effective. Self-initiated water conservancy efforts have yielded positive results, while state-funded projects in this area have generally fallen short.

Within agricultural cooperatives, members may voluntarily contribute to the cooperative’s reserve fund to finance agricultural development and centralized production, but such contributions must never be forced. In Qinghai Province, 10–30 million yuan was accumulated in 1958, thanks to the participation of wealthier members.

(5) Establishing Experimental Fields. All Party committees should establish experimental fields. Huang’an County has achieved excellent results despite poor soil conditions, yielding 800 jin per mu, primarily due to effective management. Huang’an County aims to become a “thousand-jin county,” and the Chairman has emphasized that experimental fields should be established at all levels, from the central government down to the county level. In pastoral areas, specialized experimental stations should be set up, prioritizing advanced methods over outdated ones. Human effort remains paramount. Concrete leadership is essential for every task; in agriculture, this means establishing experimental fields. With participation from counties, districts, and townships, dozens or even hundreds of such sites could be created. Industry should also engage in experimentation. Officials responsible for industrial affairs should not confine themselves to office buildings but instead work directly in factories. Lessons learned should be applied universally. Schools can likewise serve as experimental platforms, with education department staff relocating their offices to schools. True engagement with reality is fundamental to effective leadership.

(6) The Relationship Between Political Loyalty and Professional Expertise. Political loyalty and professional competence represent a dialectical unity of opposites. Both aspects must be cultivated simultaneously—political consciousness alongside technical proficiency. Empty political rhetoric must be criticized, as must technocrats who neglect politics. Empty talk is unacceptable; those lacking political awareness are essentially devoid of substance.

(7) Combating Bureaucracy. A nationwide campaign against bureaucratic tendencies is underway. Cadres should demonstrate revolutionary zeal and vitality. Regardless of age, senior officials should exhibit even greater vigor.

(8) The Twenty-Four-Point Plan: Provincial and prefectural committees are to submit their plans to the central authorities by June. County-level plans, in addition to being reported to the prefectural committee, should also be submitted directly to the provincial committee. Township and district plans—both exemplary and problematic examples—should be reported to the provincial committee.

(9) The “Four Pests” Campaign: As instructed by the Chairman, an patriotic health movement centered on eliminating the four pests should be launched. Its significance extends beyond pest control; it is closely tied to public health.

(10) Afforestation. The Chairman advocates daily afforestation efforts, organizing large-scale campaigns involving timber forests and economic tree plantations. Some provinces encourage people to move to mountainous areas. For example, in Hebei Province, agricultural cooperatives dispatch workers to the mountains to engage in livestock raising and farming.

(11) Vigorously Developing Local Industries. Under the Second Five-Year Plan, the goal is for the total output value of local industries to surpass that of agriculture. During a visit to Japan, Wang Zhen observed numerous industries dispersed throughout rural areas and suggested learning from this Japanese model. Provinces, prefectures, and counties should all promote industrial development.

(12) Meeting Procedures and Regional Coordination. Our Party has developed many effective meeting formats. The Chairman has noted that the Great Leap Forward—characterized by mass mobilization, open discussion, and wall posters—represents a new stage in the mass line. Multi-level meetings should not only address practical work matters but also delve into theoretical and ideological issues. This helps elevate cadres’ ideological awareness and adherence to principles. The Anti-Rightist Campaign itself was fundamentally a theoretical struggle, requiring both political loyalty and professional expertise. Local nationalism, at its core, stems from bourgeois ideology; without addressing it theoretically, the problem cannot be resolved. The report delivered by Comrade ××, Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, serves as a standard document. We should study it seven or eight times. Parts VIII and IX of the report specifically address the antagonism between the enemy and ourselves, touching upon political, ideological, and revolutionary questions. The Shanghai Municipal Party Committee’s report also highlights ideological concerns.

Regional coordination should be strengthened to enhance mutual cooperation. The central government encourages inter-regional ties. The previous abolition of administrative regions was necessary, as it led to closer connections between higher and lower levels of government (provinces and the central authorities). Regional linkages should now be based on the needs of economic development, allowing provinces to enter into contracts with one another.

The central government has preliminarily identified seven regional centers: 1. East China, centered on Shanghai, encompassing five provinces; 2. Central China, centered on Wuhan, including Hubei, Hunan, Henan, and Anhui; 3. South China, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Fujian, and Jiangxi; 4. Southwest China, centered on Chengdu, covering Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, along with Shaanxi; 5. Northwest China, centered on Xi’an, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai (including the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region), Shanxi, and Henan; 6. North China, centered on Tianjin, integrating Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Henan; 7. Northeast China, centered on Shenyang, covering Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.

Provinces should hold party congresses and send representatives to participate in each other’s meetings.

We should also establish central coordinating bodies, and agricultural cooperatives should likewise strengthen their interconnections.

(13) Central leaders should spend at least four months annually working in the countryside.

(14) When central leaders go to the countryside, they should refrain from formal receptions, banquets, and theatrical performances to avoid disrupting their work.

(15) The Distinction Between Two Types of Contradictions. Comrade ××’s report clearly explains that, following the Anti-Rightist Campaign, some came to believe that internal contradictions among the people no longer existed. However, during the transitional period toward socialism, the primary contradiction remained that between the enemy and ourselves (as affirmed by the Second Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee). This involves the conflict between two classes—the proletariat and the bourgeoisie—and the clash of two paths—socialism versus capitalism. While there are indeed two distinct types of contradictions (with the rightists representing the enemy), the number of actual enemies has steadily decreased. Although more than 150,000 rightists have been dealt with, reducing the enemy presence, contradictions persist, and the struggle between friend and foe continues. Nevertheless, the enemy–people contradiction is not the dominant one. Internal contradictions among the people constitute the main issue, accounting for 98% of all contradictions, though they are dispersed. Certain aspects of the enemy–people contradiction can also be addressed as internal contradictions. In the Anti-Rightist Campaign, while a portion involved direct confrontation with the enemy, the majority pertained to internal tensions—specifically, the hierarchical relationships between leaders and the led, and between different echelons of authority. These are long-standing and pervasive. Therefore, internal contradictions should not be equated with or overlooked in favor of the enemy–people contradiction.

(16) Continuous Revolution. Work must be carried out in the spirit of continuous revolution. Moving forward, one campaign will follow another. Following this rectification campaign, the fundamental question of victory or defeat on the political and ideological fronts—namely, the proletariat’s triumph over the bourgeoisie—has largely been resolved. The next phase will focus on technological challenges: fifteen years hence, steel production is expected to match Britain’s level. For the next fifteen years, the Party’s primary task lies in advancing technology, with politics serving as the guiding force and soul of the endeavor. It is insufficient to emphasize political loyalty alone; empty political rhetoric must be rejected. Competition should be encouraged, distinguishing between the advanced and the backward. The entire Party must devote itself to mastering technology; without such dedication, socialist construction cannot be completed. However, political consciousness is equally indispensable. Communist ideology must be firmly instilled. Some argue that merit alone suffices for cadre promotion, dispensing with moral integrity. Yet, unwavering revolutionary will is essential; it cannot be lacking. Equally important is technical expertise. Fifteen years from now, once class distinctions have been abolished, will there still be revolution or struggle? The answer remains yes. Success hinges on effectively resolving internal contradictions; failure leads to the exacerbation of the enemy–people contradiction. The Soviet Union’s successful launch of two artificial satellites demonstrated that its scientific and technological capabilities had surpassed those of the United States, underscoring the need for our revolutionary drive to catch up with the most advanced nations.

(17) The Unity of Opposites. Things objectively exist; they possess both positive and negative qualities, enabling us to distinguish between the advanced and the backward. Newspapers should also publicize both the good and the bad, highlighting what is significant and what is merely substantial. The method of comparison is, in essence, a proactive approach. Such comparisons should extend beyond economic matters to include political and ideological work as well. The Chairman has stated that comparisons should occur at least three times per year—during Party Congresses and other meetings—by promoting the successful and criticizing the failures.