Comments and Revisions on the Reports by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan [1] Concerning Agricultural Production and the Situation of Rural People’s Communes (November 19, 1958)  I. This document [2] is hereby circulated to all comrades for study; any parts requiring amendment should be revised [3]. Thereafter, it shall be approved by the Central Committee and transmitted to the party committees of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government for implementation in accordance with its provisions. Mao Zedong November 19, 1958 Printed from the manuscript. II. Compared with last year. [4] III. [ ] These items, compared with last year.
IV. [ ] Compared with the previous year. V. [7] All of these items must include specific figures showing changes from last year. VI. Printed according to Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Just how much was there last year? During the winter of 1958 and in the 1959 water conservancy project plan, based on preliminary plans from various localities, the volume of earthwork and stone excavation was nearly triple that of the previous year—reaching 190 billion cubic meters (compared with 50 billion cubic meters last winter and this year). If we assume that half of the rural male and female workforce, roughly 120 million people, were mobilized for these projects, each working 100 days and averaging more than 15 cubic meters per day, only then could the work be completed. However, undertaking such a massive amount of labor is impractical; it must be significantly reduced. Otherwise, there will inevitably be conflicts over labor allocation with steel production, fertilizer accumulation, sideline production, transportation, and other rural infrastructure initiatives. Moreover, it would lead to excessive overtime and prolonged working hours, thereby undermining necessary rest and sleep.
VII. In the course of collectivization, the transfer of residual private means of production, such as private plots, into collective ownership proceeded relatively smoothly. Some minor fluctuations occurred in isolated instances—for example, farmers selling pigs or slaughtering chickens—but these subsided within a few days once policies were clearly explained. The movement has been healthy and far more successful than the earlier stages of primary and advanced cooperativization. That said, over the past two months, people’s communes nationwide have been preoccupied with autumn harvests, autumn sowing, and large-scale steel production. For the most part, they have merely established a rudimentary framework, leaving numerous unresolved issues. Addressing these problems will be the task for the coming months. VIII. With regard to daily life, the three major concerns are eating, sleeping, and childcare. One must ensure at least eight hours of sleep, plus four hours for meals and rest, totaling twelve hours without fail. Working hours should generally be eight, with ten hours permissible during peak periods, but never exceeding twelve, if sustainability is to be maintained. Public canteens and nurseries/kindergartens must be properly organized. Among the vice chairpersons of the commune and the deputy secretaries of its party committee, there should be one person specifically responsible for managing matters of daily life. Furthermore, county-level and higher rural work departments and women’s federations ought to establish dedicated institutions and assign personnel to oversee this area. Serving public canteens and nurseries/kindergartens should be regarded as among the noblest forms of service to the people. Both production and daily life must be addressed simultaneously. Without proper attention to daily life, it is difficult to achieve success in production. “Good production, good living conditions, well-cared-for children”—this is our slogan. Printed according to Mao Zedong’s revised version.

Notes [1] Tan Zhenlin was then a secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. Liao Luyan was then deputy head of the CPC Central Committee’s Rural Work Department and Minister of Agriculture. [2] Refers to the report submitted by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan on November 16, 1958, to the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong, detailing the main circumstances, problems, and opinions concerning agricultural production and rural people’s communes. The key contents were as follows: (1) The state of the 1958 agricultural harvest. Total grain output was projected at 850 billion jin, double the 370 billion jin produced in 1957; total cotton output was expected to reach 85 million dan, 1.5 times the 32.8 million dan harvested in 1957. The report also listed yields of oilseeds and other cash crops. It noted that these statistics had been adjusted downward by provincial, prefectural, and county authorities by approximately 20–30 percent relative to the figures initially reported by lower-level party committees. While some reports may have contained exaggeration or underreporting, after these reductions at the provincial, prefectural, and county levels, the figures could be considered reliable. In summary, 1958 witnessed an overall bumper harvest—an enormous leap forward. (2) The 1958 grain procurement plan was not well executed. The reasons were manifold: increased household consumption, greater retention of seeds, labor shortages, insufficient transport capacity, and the fact that the state’s procurement targets had not truly become part of the communes’ own plans. It was recommended that, starting in 1959, a contractual system be implemented for agricultural product purchases, whereby procurement agencies would enter into contracts with rural people’s communes, both sides committing to fulfill their respective obligations. (3) According to planting plans proposed by provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions for 1959, the area sown with grain would be reduced to no more than 1.5 billion mu, a decrease of about 400 million mu compared with 1958. This implies that grain yields per mu would need to increase by 1.5 times—from over 400 jin to more than 1,000 jin—in order to double total grain output again, reaching 1.5 trillion jin. This is an extremely challenging task. Therefore, a large-scale high-yield campaign must be launched, shifting from extensive cultivation with low yields to intensive cultivation with higher yields, implementing the “three-three system” of land use, and fundamentally altering the situation where “five hundred million people are struggling to produce enough food.” The implementation of this policy must proceed step by step; the initial steps in 1959 should not be too bold, particularly regarding the areas designated for winter sowing in 1958 and spring sowing in 1959, which should only be slightly reduced rather than substantially cut. It was suggested that each province, based on local conditions, formulate specific steps, methods, and action plans to realize the “three-three system” of land use. (4) Although total grain and cotton output in 1958 more than doubled, the total value of sideline agricultural activities did not double; in some areas, it even declined. Many communes had substantial accumulated funds on their books, yet they faced severe cash shortages, with some unable even to pay wages, nor could they afford to purchase means of production for expanded reproduction. This situation must be rectified as soon as possible. Local authorities were urged to seize the winter period to vigorously develop sideline production, organize specialized teams, set clear targets, and resolve wage payments and other cash expenditures before the summer harvest of 1959. At the same time, commune-run industries should be developed, diversified operations expanded, and the commodity production of people’s communes increased—this constitutes a crucial measure for economically consolidating and elevating the status of rural people’s communes. (5) The water conservancy project plans for the winter of 1958 and the spring of 1959 represented nearly a tripling of the workload compared with the previous year. Such a heavy burden was bound to create conflicts with steel production, fertilizer accumulation, sideline production, transportation, and other rural infrastructure projects in terms of labor allocation. Accordingly, while ensuring the timely completion of priority projects, certain secondary projects should be scaled back and postponed until 1960 or 1961. (6) Regarding distribution and collective living arrangements. Specific personnel should be assigned to manage issues related to daily life, and rural work departments and women’s federations at the county level and above should also establish dedicated units and staff to handle these matters. As for distribution, the 1958 distribution scheme was left to the discretion of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions; it could either be carried out uniformly at the commune level or, after the commune retained a portion, the remainder distributed according to the original cooperative units. Additionally, after fulfilling the state’s procurement obligations, a share of the grain could be allocated to commune members so that each household would have some savings. (7) The tasks ahead include strengthening Party leadership, focusing on ideological education, production, distribution, and daily life management, and ensuring the sound operation of people’s communes. During the winter of 1958, systematic and comprehensive socialist and communist education should be conducted in line with Chairman Mao’s instructions delivered at the Zhengzhou Conference. A special meeting convened by the Central Rural Work Department in January 1959 would be devoted to studying the administration and management of people’s communes. Simultaneously, cadres would be seconded from organs at the county level and above to reinforce the leading bodies of the communes, and active participants in the collectivization drive and the Great Leap Forward would be admitted into the Party to strengthen the Party’s leadership over the communes. This report was later circulated as a document at the Wuhan Conference.

[3] Details of the revisions made to the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan can be found in the annotations accompanying the five comments numbered (2) through (6), as well as in the three passages labeled (7), (8), and (9). The portions printed in Song typeface within these three sections represent additions and rewrites by Mao Zedong. [4] This comment was written beside a passage in the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan concerning the projected total cotton yield. The original text read: “The total cotton yield is projected at 85 million dan. Due to excessive rainfall since autumn and a shortage of labor, the yield will be somewhat affected; however, the deviation will not be significant, and around 80 million dan remains feasible.” Following Mao Zedong’s instruction, a sentence was subsequently added to the draft: “Compared with 1997, when the yield was 32.8 million dan, this represents an increase of ‘one and a half times.’” [5] This comment was directed at a section of the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan dealing with estimates of oilseed production. The original text stated: “Projected autumn oilseed harvest: 26 billion jin of soybeans, 126 million dan of peanuts, 11.88 million dan of sesame, together with cottonseed and rapeseed for next spring’s harvest (totaling 160 million dan according to provincial plans), sufficient to produce approximately 6.5 million tons of edible oil.” In accordance with Mao Zedong’s directive, this passage was later revised to: “Projected autumn oilseed harvest: 26 billion jin of soybeans, a 30 percent increase over the 20.1 billion jin harvested in 1957, achieved through a 26 percent reduction in acreage and an 80 percent increase in yield per mu; 126 million dan of peanuts, nearly 1.5 times the 51 million dan harvested in 1957; 11.88 million dan of sesame, a 90 percent increase over the 625,000 dan harvested in 1957; plus 120 million dan of cottonseed (compared with just over 50,000 dan in 1957) and rapeseed for next spring’s harvest (provincial plans call for 160 million dan, representing a four- to eight-fold increase over the 2.77 million dan harvested in 1957—perhaps a bit of an exaggeration). Together, these sources could yield approximately 6.5 million tons of edible oil (excluding castor oil, sunflower oil, and woody oilseeds), providing an average of twenty jin of edible oil per person.” [6] This comment was penned alongside a section of the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan concerning estimates of 1958 edible oil production. The draft was subsequently revised, but no comparison with 1957 was included. 5£´
[7] This comment pertains to a section of the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan that details the 1958 yields of other economic crops. The original text read: “All other economic crops have seen increased production. Tobacco and sugar crops have grown exponentially, whereas the growth rates of hemp, silk, and tea have been only in the tens of percentage points, falling short of doubling.” Following Mao Zedong’s instruction, this passage was later revised to: “All other economic crops have seen increased production. Tobacco output has risen from 5.12 million dan to 19.87 million dan; sugarcane from 200 million dan to 450 million dan; and sugar beet from 30 million dan to around 160 million dan—all growing exponentially. By contrast, the increases in hemp (from 707,000 dan to 992,000 dan), silk (from 225,000 dan to 314,000 dan), and tea (from 223,000 dan to 302,000 dan) have been only in the tens of percentage points, falling short of doubling.” [ ] This comment was directed at a section of the report by Tan Zhenlin and Liao Luyan concerning 1958 livestock numbers—cattle, sheep, and pigs. The original text stated: “It is projected that in 1998, cattle will increase by 6.63 million head, sheep by 30 million, and pigs will grow to 270 million.” In response to Mao Zedong’s instruction, this passage was later revised to: “It is projected that in 1998, the cattle population will grow from 83.82 million to 90.45 million, an increase of 6.63 million head; the sheep population will rise from 98 million to 129 million, an increase of 30 million; and the pig population will expand from 140 million to 270 million, nearly doubling.”