Comment on
"The Soviet Experts' Views on the 'More, Faster, Better, More Economical' Line" [1]
(May 19, 1958)

Comrade Xiaoping [2]:

Please print and distribute this document to all comrades at the conference.

Mao
May
19th
[See this year's "Propaganda and Education Trends" No. 63.][1]

[1] Refers to the article "The Soviet Experts' Views on the 'More, Faster, Better, More Economical' Line" published in the "Propaganda and Education Trends" No. 63, compiled and printed by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee. The article states that on the afternoon of April 25, Song Renqiong convened a symposium of Soviet experts from the Second Ministry of Machine Building in Beijing, introducing them to the current rectification campaign and Great Leap Forward in China, as well as the general line of building socialism with greater, faster, better, and more economical results, the construction policy of giving equal importance to industry and agriculture, and combining large, medium, and small enterprises, and listed many examples of Soviet experts assisting China in implementing the "More, Faster, Better, More Economical" line. In addition to speaking at the meeting, Soviet expert Vorobyov shared some opinions with the translator after the meeting. Vorobyov said: The "More, Faster, Better, More Economical" national construction policy now proposed by the Chinese Party is completely correct. This is mainly a matter of increasing labor productivity and accelerating socialist construction. He believes that to achieve "more and more economical," it is necessary to combine it with local conditions. For example, in the Soviet Union, steel is very cheap and wood is very expensive, but in China, the opposite is true: wood is very cheap and steel is very expensive. If one does not understand this actual situation and insists on using steel for construction without using other substitutes, it will inevitably lead to spending more money, which is not in line with the spirit of "more" and "economical." For example, in the Soviet Union, the promotion of large-scale mechanized and automated factories is because the Soviet Union has a small population and insufficient labor. But in China, it is different. China has a large population, and if we promote mechanization and automation like the Soviet Union at this time, it will not be in line with China's national conditions.

The Chinese Party's current policy of developing more medium-sized and small-sized factories and mines is in line with China's situation. This can give play to the role of everyone. Before this, Vorobyov also said that in his contact with Chinese comrades, he often found that some comrades did not use their brains in their work, and did not think about problems proactively. They relied on experts to solve everything, big or small. Even when discussing problems, some comrades did not put forward their own opinions and views, but only copied the experts' answers and then implemented them verbatim. This is not creatively learning advanced experience, but mechanically copying it. Therefore, it is easy to make deviations that are not in line with China's national conditions. Experts can only play an advisory and guiding role. Many problems still have to be solved by Chinese comrades themselves, because they understand the situation most clearly, and it also facilitates the development of their own independent thinking.

[2] This material was printed and distributed as a conference document at the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress of the CPC.

[3] Xiaoping, namely Deng Xiaoping, was then the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

[4] This is Mao Zedong's explanation written after the article "The Soviet Experts' Views on the 'More, Faster, Better, More Economical' Line."