Critique on a Letter Reflecting Disaster Conditions in Lingbi County, Anhui Province (1)
(2 October 1958)

Comrade Zeng Xisheng (2):
Please send someone to investigate whether it is true, and handle it at your discretion.

Mao Zedong
2 October

(1) This unsigned letter to Mao Zedong, written on 5 September 1958, stated that in Fengmiao Township, Yangting Township, and Yinji Township of Lingbi County, Anhui Province, due to a windstorm disaster, false reporting of per-mu yields, forced conversion of dryland to paddy rice, over-reporting of planted areas, and other reasons, the disaster conditions were grave; up to that point, no fewer than 500 people had starved to death, many others were bedridden and unable to rise, and the letter requested the Central Committee send people to investigate and handle the situation. The letter also reported incidents in Fengmiao Township where township cooperative cadres hung and beat one landlord household and one middle peasant household to extort silver dollars. As per Mao Zedong’s instruction, the Anhui Provincial Party Committee dispatched an inspection team to investigate, and reported back to Mao Zedong on 26 December 1958, stating that the problems reflected in the letter were basically true, that the Provincial Party Committee had carried out self-criticism regarding this, adopted measures, and carried out handling.

(2) Zeng Xisheng, at that time First Secretary of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee.