Comments and Revisions on the Draft Resolution Concerning Several Issues Related to People’s Communes〔1〕 (November–December 1958) I Comrade Qiao Mu〔2〕: I have a few suggestions. Please discuss them with Xiaoping and Ren Zhong〔3〕 and make a decision accordingly. Mao Zedong, November 24, 12:00 PM Printed from the manuscript.

II The logic here is unclear and rather confused, so I have made these revisions. As for logic, there is one universal principle that must be observed: “The whole is greater than the part,” or, in other words, “The larger is larger than the smaller, and the smaller is smaller than the larger.” One should always keep this in mind when speaking or writing.〔4〕

III [ ] Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript. In order to accommodate the Soviet Union, the word “correct” has been omitted.

IV Now sent to Comrades Xiaoping and Qiao Mu: I have reviewed sections one through six of this document once again (sections seven and eight remain unread), making some minor changes. Please share your views with the comrades and see whether it can be used. I first read this document on November 29; at that time, the opinions submitted by the various working groups had not yet been received, so they were not taken into account. Mao Zedong, December 6, 10:00 AM, printed from the manuscript.

V All of this proves that the resolution adopted by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the Beidaihe Conference in August 1958—based on the creativity of the masses—to establish people’s communes in the countryside was correct and of historic significance.

VI At present, many capitalists and intellectuals in the cities still harbor quite strong bourgeois ideas. They remain apprehensive about the establishment of communes. We should exercise patience toward this group as well. Therefore, pilot projects should continue in urban areas, but large-scale implementation should be postponed. Particular caution is needed in the major cities; for now, only preparatory work should be carried out. Only after we have accumulated sufficient experience and those who were previously unconvinced have come around should we proceed to widespread establishment.

VII To broadly achieve national industrialization, commune industrialization, and mechanization and electrification of agriculture, thereby building a socialist country with highly developed modern industry, modern agriculture, and a modern scientific culture—despite our relatively rapid pace—the process will still take a long time. From now on, it will require fifteen, twenty years, or even longer, to complete.

VIII The timing of the transition from collective ownership to全民ownership depends entirely on objective conditions such as the level of productive development and the degree of the people’s consciousness, and cannot be determined arbitrarily by subjective wishes. It cannot be delayed simply because someone wants to delay it, nor accelerated merely because someone desires an earlier transition.

IX In the past, people often worried that China had too large a population and too little arable land. However, the great agricultural bumper harvest of 1958 has refuted this claim. By earnestly promoting deep plowing and fine cultivation, layered fertilization, and rational close planting, and by gaining extensive experience in achieving extremely high yields, we have found that arable land is no longer scarce—it is abundant—and that the workforce is now in short supply rather than the population being excessive. This represents a profound transformation.

X The industrial production of people’s communes must be closely integrated with agricultural production, primarily serving to develop agriculture and realize its mechanization and electrification, while also meeting the daily needs of commune members and supporting the nation’s large-scale industry and the socialist market. We must fully adhere to the principles of adapting measures to local conditions and utilizing local resources. Industries that lack local raw materials and require sourcing from very distant locations should be avoided, as this would increase costs and waste labor.

XI The scope of material provision should not be too broad at present. The system of material supply is not intended to standardize people’s lives. Under socialism and communism, people’s needs are generally similar yet individually distinct. Therefore, both now and in the future, within the framework of material supply, we must ensure that commune members have as much freedom of choice as possible.

XII Wage levels may vary considerably among different regions. At present, wage disparities in urban areas are somewhat greater than in rural areas, which is necessary. In the future, however, as production experiences a tremendous upsurge and everyone becomes prosperous, whether in cities or in villages, such differences in wage scales will no longer be justified and will gradually disappear—this will mark the approach of the communist era.

XIII We need to run elderly care homes well, providing a better living environment for senior citizens without family support (“the five guarantees”).

XIV There are currently many foolish people in the world who are fiercely attacking our people’s communes, including Mr. Dulles of the United States. This fellow Dulles knows nothing about China yet pretends to be an expert, wildly opposing the people’s communes. What particularly grieves him is that we have supposedly destroyed the millennia-old, supposedly excellent traditional family system. Indeed, the Chinese people have dismantled the feudal patriarchal system. It should be noted that such a patriarchal system has largely disappeared in capitalist societies, which is itself a sign of progress. We have gone even further, establishing democratic and united families, something that is still rare in capitalist countries. Only when a socialist revolution is achieved there, abolishing the capitalist system of exploitation, will such families become commonplace. As for nurseries, kindergartens, and factory canteens, these also first appeared in capitalist societies. However, in those settings, any such institutions established by the bourgeoisie are inherently capitalist in nature, designed to facilitate the exploitation of male and female workers by capital. Our own initiatives, by contrast, are socialist in character, serving to advance the socialist cause and liberate human personality. They have truly and thoroughly emancipated women and improved child-rearing, earning the enthusiastic approval of all working people, especially women.

XV The modern industrial army is organized by the bourgeoisie: one factory is equivalent to one military camp. Workers stand before their machines with discipline no less strict than that of the military. In a socialist society, the industrial army consists solely of the working class, devoid of exploiting capitalists. Within the working class, a vibrant, conscious, voluntary, and democratic centralist system is implemented. We are now applying this system to the countryside, thereby establishing a socialist agricultural industrial army free from landlord and rich-peasant exploitation and transcending the small-peasant mode of production.

XVI Militia organizations should be equipped with weapons as needed, produced by local arms factories. Core militia members must undergo regular military training according to schedule, while ordinary militia members should also receive appropriate training during breaks in their work, so as to lay the groundwork for universal military service. The broad masses of our working people warmly welcome the militia system because, during their long revolutionary struggle against imperialism, feudalism, and their lackey the reactionary Kuomintang, they came to realize that only by arming themselves could they defeat the armed counterrevolution and become masters of this land. After the revolution’s victory, they saw that imperialist bandits abroad continued to threaten to destroy this people’s state. Consequently, the entire people resolved to keep arming themselves, declaring: “You robbers who seek to plunder us, beware! Do not dare to lay a hand on us peaceful workers—we are ready.” Should imperialism ever launch an aggressive war against our country, we will then implement universal military service, with the militia coordinating with and reinforcing the People’s Liberation Army at all times to utterly defeat the aggressors.

XVII Complex class struggles persist not only abroad, in the capitalist world, but also at home. It is essential to educate the masses to heighten their revolutionary vigilance and guard against enemy sabotage.

XVIII When carrying out rectification work, each county should first select one or two pilot communes, assisting their cadres to accomplish the task within a short period, accumulate experience as models, and then promote the work more widely. Printed in accordance with the December 19, 1958 issue of the People’s Daily. (Includes Mao Zedong’s revised version)

Notes 〔1〕 The Resolution Concerning Several Issues Related to People’s Communes was drafted under Mao Zedong’s leadership. Its formation was a gradual process: From November 2 to 10, 1958, the First Zhengzhou Conference adopted a draft resolution titled “The Zhengzhou Conference Resolution Concerning Several Issues Related to People’s Communes” (see the first page of this volume). The conference decided to take the draft back for implementation and solicit opinions, with the intention of formally issuing it to party committees at all levels after approval by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Following the conference, Mao Zedong was dissatisfied with the document and suggested that party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions bring their respective comments on the document to the Wuhan Conference for further discussion. At the Wuhan Conference held from November 21 to 27, and subsequently at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth CPC Central Committee, a new version of the Resolution Concerning Several Issues Related to People’s Communes was redrafted based on updated circumstances and input from various regions. Mao Zedong made numerous revisions to this resolution. Sections (1) through (4) herein consist of his marginal notes written during the revision process, while sections (5) through (18) contain his actual textual amendments, with newly added or altered passages printed in Song typeface. In addition, Mao Zedong wrote two relatively lengthy passages during the revision process, which were later deleted from the final approved resolution. One passage read: “The principle of ‘less sowing, more harvesting’ in agriculture will trigger a major revolution in agricultural production. What, then, is the so-called basic farmland system and landscaping? It involves implementing a ‘three-thirds’ cultivation pattern: of the existing 1.8 billion mu of land dedicated to growing crops (equivalent to 120 million hectares), one-third—approximately 600 million mu—would be used for crop cultivation; another third would be left fallow for growing pasture, fertilizer crops, and a variety of beautiful flowers and grasses for ornamental purposes; and the remaining third would be planted with trees for afforestation. Small ponds or reservoirs should be established throughout the countryside, teeming with fish, shrimp, crabs, and various aquatic plants. People’s communes should integrate industry, agriculture, commerce, education, and the militia, with agriculture encompassing farming, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production, and fisheries. Among these five sectors, the integration of farming, forestry, and animal husbandry is most crucial for the rational use of land. The fact that only one-third of all cultivated land needs to be used for grain and cotton production is due to the extraordinary high yields achieved through deep plowing, layered fertilization, and rational close planting—for example, ten thousand jin of grain or one thousand jin of cotton per mu. Thus, the remaining two-thirds can be devoted to growing grasses and planting trees, thereby beautifying the entire country. This is a rough concept that appears feasible, though it will take a considerable amount of time to fully realize. Such a practice would significantly conserve water, fertilizer, and labor, while also greatly increasing soil bacteria and enhancing soil fertility. Planting trees and grasses should gradually follow the same intensive cultivation and fertilization practices as grain and cotton production. In the sideline fisheries sector, we must also strive for excellence and do everything possible to achieve high yields. In short, a comprehensive revolution is needed across farming, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production, and fisheries. In this way, the longstanding concern about China’s large population and limited arable land will be completely overturned. With the implementation of the three-thirds cultivation pattern, arable land will no longer be scarce; on the contrary, it will be abundant, and the population will feel a shortage of labor rather than an excess. This will represent a momentous transformation.” The other passage stated: “People’s communes have already been set up in principle. The current challenge is to substantially strengthen and improve them within a few months—specifically, within the next four to five months, this winter and spring—so that they function like a living organism, possessing not only a skeletal and dermal system but also all other vital systems, with flesh and blood, complete organs including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. To achieve this, we must intensify and enhance the communes’ ideological and political work, organizational efforts, and operational management, ensuring that production construction and welfare services quickly enter a sound and sustainable development track.” 〔〕 Qiao Mu refers to Hu Qiaomu, who at the time served as an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and as Mao Zedong’s secretary. 〔〕 Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at the time held the post of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Ren Zhong refers to Wang Renzhong, who at the time was the First Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC. 〔〕 This is a marginal note Mao Zedong wrote on November 28, 1958, beside a passage in the draft resolution he was revising. The original draft stated: “The process of transitioning from collective ownership to全民ownership is interconnected with the processes of national industrialization, commune industrialization, and agricultural mechanization; however, this does not mean that the former must await the completion of the latter.” Mao revised the second half of this sentence to read: “However, this does not mean that the former requires the latter to reach an extremely high level of development and achieve absolute comprehensiveness before it can be realized—such a rigid emphasis is inappropriate.” He then penned this comment. 〔5〕 This is a marginal note Mao Zedong wrote on November 28, 1958, beside a passage in the draft resolution he was revising. The original draft stated: “As the nation’s industry and agriculture reach new heights and commune-level industry and agriculture develop simultaneously, social products will become increasingly abundant. Nationwide,全民ownership will be fully realized; the supply component of the commune distribution system will gradually expand, with standards rising from low to high; the scope of the commodity economy will progressively narrow; and concurrently, the people’s communist consciousness will steadily increase, mass education will continue to advance, and distinctions between urban and rural areas, between workers and farmers, and between mental and manual labor will gradually diminish. Meanwhile, the state’s internal authority will also gradually weaken—these developments collectively constitute factors propelling us toward communism and creating conditions for a smooth transition. To ignore or even obstruct this process, thereby pushing communism into the distant future, would undoubtedly be incorrect.” Mao replaced the word “incorrect” in the last sentence with “inappropriate” and appended this comment. 〔6〕 Dulles was the U.S. Secretary of State at the time. 5£·