Comments on the Report Concerning the Mass Development of Industry
(November 5, 1958)


This document (I) is very good; light industry has found the right path. It should be immediately circulated to all comrades attending the meeting (2).


Mao Zedong
November 5, 1958
[I]
Refers to the report submitted by the Party Group of the Ministry of Light Industry to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee on October 30, 1958, concerning the issue of vigorously developing industry in the people’s communes. The report stated:


(1) The current situation in light industry is tense. On the one hand, localities, in order to concentrate their efforts on ensuring the “rise of the ‘Steel’ Marshal,” are demanding that light industry give way, resulting in widespread shutdowns and partial stoppages. On the other hand, market supplies are extremely tight, with many daily necessities and foodstuffs already disappearing from shelves. The only way to resolve this contradiction is to actively and vigorously expand light industrial production.

(2) Systematically summarizing and earnestly promoting key technical innovations and inventions is crucial for enhancing existing production capacity; it is also the quickest and most effective measure for increasing output at present.

(3) Implementing the policy of simultaneously developing industry and agriculture and vigorously developing industry within the people’s communes constitutes the fundamental direction for the development of light industry. Over eighty percent of light industry’s raw materials are sourced from rural areas, and its main markets are also located in the countryside. In the past, most light industrial plants were built in cities, requiring raw materials to be transported from rural areas to urban centers and finished products to be shipped back to the countryside—resulting in wasteful round-trip transportation. Establishing industries within the people’s communes not only further implements the Party-wide and nationwide policy of mass participation in industrial development but also helps strengthen the integration of industry and agriculture, thereby creating conditions for gradually eliminating the differences between urban and rural areas and between workers and peasants.


At present, the most important task is to fully mobilize the masses, adapting measures to the specific economic and natural conditions of each people’s commune and relying on self-reliance; prioritizing small-scale enterprises while combining small and medium-sized ones; mainly using traditional methods while integrating them with modern techniques; and linking backbone enterprises with mass-run enterprises—both by building new factories and by upgrading existing ones, particularly handicraft workshops.

(4) To achieve these objectives, it is essential to continue the struggle against conservative thinking.
[2]
Namely, the First Zhengzhou Conference.