Are you in a region of Hebei Province that is advanced in water conservancy? Have the reservoirs been put to use this year? (XXX: Some have, others haven’t.)

Are there any iron ore deposits here? (XXX: More than a dozen counties—including Jingxing, Pingshan, and Huolu—have iron ore, with estimated reserves of XXX tons.) We could build a large steel plant right here. You don’t necessarily need to locate a major steelworks in Handan; it could just as well be built here.

How did this year’s wheat planting go? How many jin were sown per mu, and how deep was the plowing? (XXX: Just over thirty jin per mu, with plowing to a depth of more than a foot.) Over a foot this year—last year it was only three or four inches—that’s quite good. Are you aiming for high yields across large areas, say between five thousand and ten thousand jin per mu? (XX: One county is targeting ten thousand jin.) What was your average wheat yield this year? (XXX: 270 jin.) This year’s bumper harvest seems to have had divine assistance, though we shouldn’t count on that. In how many counties did sweet potatoes reach a yield of one thousand jin per mu? (XXX: Fourteen counties.) So there are still over a dozen where that hasn’t been achieved. These days even children are picking cotton; in the future, farming may well become the domain of women and children.

But do we really need chemical fertilizers, and what purpose do they serve? I think it would be better to stick to organic, locally made fertilizers and forego the imported kind. And are tractors indispensable? (XX: Tractors are useful for deep tillage; by replacing the standard three- or five-furrow implement with a single-plow unit, we can achieve deeper cultivation.) So you do need tractors after all. Couldn’t we manage without chemical fertilizers? (XXX: Some of them are still beneficial.) Perhaps we should produce more organic fertilizer and use fewer chemical inputs. Do you have a tractor factory here? (XXX: There is one, but it’s currently making blowers.) For now, it’s taking a break from tractor production and focusing solely on blowers.

How is the people’s commune system working out? It seems to have mostly just set up the framework. Have canteens been established? Do people eat together, or do they take their meals home? (XXX: There are different arrangements—in some places they eat together, in others they bring food back home.) Isn’t it rather cold to carry food home? And does the canteen actually prepare dishes? I understand there are some well-run canteens among you. Let’s classify them into three tiers and strive to move all toward the top tier. Do the people welcome communal dining? They used to be reluctant, but now they seem to accept it. (XXX: In Zhengding County, the women went on a one-day strike, and as a result, a canteen was set up.) A one-day strike in Zhengding—that really happened. What’s wrong with that? Such a progressive form of protest is the best rebuke for those who lag behind.

A canteen and a nursery are two crucial components that must be properly organized. If they’re not run well, it can seriously affect production. Poor meals lead to poor output, and inadequate childcare will undermine the next generation. Caregivers should attend to the children with the same care a mother would show her own. Does anyone here specifically oversee these matters? This is a question worthy of serious study. It won’t do to simply slap a child down whenever he or she cries or makes a fuss. We need to ensure that children are well fed, well dressed, well entertained, and get sufficient rest, while also understanding their psychological state.

Every people’s commune ought to cultivate cash crops; if it confines itself to grain production, it won’t be able to pay wages. In mountainous areas, you could grow walnuts and pears, raise sheep, and trade these products outside the region. Might Hebei be divided into several categories based on this criterion? First, there are counties where food is scarce; second, there are those with adequate food supplies where meals are provided free of charge, yet no wages are paid. Do you have any such communes? (XXX: Two communes fall into this category.) This deserves further investigation: could they generate income by selling certain commodities? Grain isn’t much of a cash crop anymore, so perhaps walnuts or jujubes would be better. Is it preferable to focus on walnuts or on jujubes? (XXX: Both of these communes grow walnuts.) Since both communities produce walnuts, why aren’t they able to pay wages? (XXX: These two communes are located high in the mountains of Jianping County.) Have you heard of Li Shunda’s commune? It was established on the Taihang Mountains through sheer perseverance. Communes unable to pay wages should be helped to get on their feet. Walnuts are an excellent source of oil. In the future, common cooking oils like rapeseed oil will become less viable, so we should start cultivating sesame instead. That way, we can produce fragrant sesame oil. Moreover, raising sheep conflicts with forestry, as they tend to strip the hills bare. On the other hand, sheep provide manure for fertilizing crops and wool for textile production. How many sheep do you have here? (XXX: Forty-eight.) You over there have more, don’t you? (XXX: The Zhangjiakou area has a larger flock.) Then there are counties where wages are very low—three to five yuan. And finally, some pay relatively higher wages: in Anguo, for example, the annual per capita income exceeds one hundred yuan, averaging around 110 yuan for both adults and children. (XXX: The average is 110 yuan for adults and children alike.) You should conduct a thorough survey to assess living standards—are they high or low? Anguo is far ahead of Xushui: Xushui averages 70 yuan, whereas Anguo reaches 110. Anguo is particularly noteworthy. Are there any other counties like Anguo in your area? (XXX: Zhengding County is doing well, and Tangcheng is even better.) Zhengding is a strong performer, and Tangcheng surpasses it. How far is it from here? Is Shen County part of your jurisdiction? Their peaches are renowned. Would it be feasible to convert the entire county into a peach-growing area?

Have you already implemented free meals everywhere? (XXX: Five counties have done so already, with plans to extend the policy to all by November.) But if most people aren’t demanding it, how can you proceed with your plan? Some argue that those with many workers but few dependents oppose the measure. This group accounts for about 15 percent; they feel disadvantaged. Shouldn’t their wages be increased to compensate? Otherwise, they’ll remain dissatisfied. Take two families: one has five members, four of whom are able-bodied, while the other has five members, only one of whom works. Clearly, these situations are not comparable, and we should consider giving greater weight to households with more labor. Even under socialism, the law of value still applies, and some people lack sufficient political awareness and simply don’t care.

There are also disgruntled officials. What about Xushui? Can the rationing system really be sustained? It’s better to proceed cautiously rather than risk collapse within a year. Are we still relying on these same cadres? We need to make it clear to them that they shouldn’t place themselves too far above the masses.

Does Shijiazhuang have any opera troupes? Are there any prominent ones? And how much do their performers earn? (Wang Li: There’s Xi Shaobo, whose salary was eight hundred yuan before he was labeled a “rightist” and reduced to five hundred.) Will he still perform at five hundred yuan? (Wang Li: Guo Yanfang, from the Pingju Opera Troupe, earns 400 yuan a month and is calling for a return to the rationing system.) Such drastic cuts are unacceptable; reducing someone’s pay by eighty percent is going too far. Has there been any unrest in Shijiazhuang’s urban communes? (Wang Li: Yes, preparations are underway.) We should take our time and avoid rushing into things.