This is a helpful report [1], prepared by the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the CPC, and published in Issue 145 of “Propaganda and Education Briefing.”


The Yunnan Provincial Committee made a mistake: as they themselves acknowledged in their report, they failed to promptly detect the edema epidemic that had broken out in certain localities.


The report offers an appropriate analysis of the problem, and the measures taken were also correct.


Thanks to this episode of the edema epidemic, Yunnan’s work may have drawn valuable lessons and developed a kind of immunity; it is unlikely that they will repeat such an error again.


A misfortune can turn into a blessing—“Misfortune is the foundation of fortune, and fortune harbors the seeds of misfortune” [2].


Other provinces, however, may still see some areas make the same sort of mistake that Yunnan did.


This is because they have not yet experienced a similar blunder, nor have they gained the deep lessons or the corresponding immunity that come from such an ordeal.


Consequently, if they do not effectively educate their cadres—especially those at the county level (for it was primarily county-level officials who were responsible for the error in Yunnan)—if they are poor at analyzing the situation, and at promptly sensing the unhealthy trends among cadres and the masses concerning people’s living conditions, then they are bound to commit the same kinds of mistakes that others have already made.


At a time when there is widespread lack of sufficient concern, attention, and proper care for such a crucial issue as the people’s livelihood—which is almost universal at present—we cannot simply blame others. This situation is closely linked to our tendency to set excessively heavy work targets.


When an overwhelming burden is imposed, cadres at the county and township levels are left with no choice but to press ahead regardless of the consequences. Even a slight shortfall in performance is branded as “rightist deviation,” which steers their thinking toward one-sidedness: they focus on production while neglecting people’s daily lives.


The solutions are as follows: (1) Do not set targets too high—stay within the limits of what the masses can realistically bear, leaving them some breathing room; (2) Give equal emphasis to both production and living standards, proceed on two legs simultaneously, and avoid one-sided approaches.


Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript dated November 25, 1958.

--- Notes



Notes [1] Refers to the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the CPC’s inspection report of November 18, 1958, submitted to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee regarding deaths caused by edema. The report states that between spring and summer of this year, Yunnan Province experienced severe mortality due to edema, dysentery, measles in children, and other ailments.


The main causes of this tragic situation were: superficial leadership style; insufficient attention paid to the urgent need to safeguard the people’s living conditions amid this year’s prolonged and intense struggle; and underestimation of the serious instances of coercive orders and violations of discipline among certain cadres.


Currently, the Provincial Committee is convening a meeting of first secretaries of prefectural and municipal committees. Guided by the spirit of Chairman Mao’s speech at the Chengdu Conference, they are focusing on reviewing the leadership styles at both the provincial and prefectural/municipal levels, drawing lessons from the experience, and preparing to implement the following measures: immediately following the meeting of city and prefectural party secretaries, launch a rectification campaign within the Party and among cadres to criticize coercive practices and indifference to the people’s welfare; establish a special task force to thoroughly investigate the edema-related deaths, severely punishing any violations of discipline or dereliction of duty involved; promptly enforce the Zhengzhou Conference’s regulations on work and rest schedules, inspecting and improving the provisions for clothing, food, housing, and workplace safety for laborers on various fronts such as mines and water conservancy projects, thereby balancing work and rest and enhancing the people’s overall living conditions, and so forth.


[2] See “Laozi,” Chapter 58. The original text reads: “Misfortune is the foundation of fortune, and fortune harbors the seeds of misfortune.”