**Comments on the Comprehensive Materials Regarding Discussions on Several Issues of the People's Communes at the Six-Level Cadres Conference of Henan Province** [1]
(March 8, 1959)

This document is to be distributed to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. It is well worth reading.

Mao Zedong
March 8, 1959, in Zhengzhou

The comprehensive materials from the six-level cadres conference convened by the Henan Provincial Party Committee, covering issues related to the system of the people's communes, distribution, poor and rich production teams, and several specific policy opinions (dated March 6, 1959). Based on these materials, a draft titled *Regulations of the Henan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Management System and Several Policies of the People's Communes* was prepared.

*The Complete Works of Mao Zedong*, Volume 41

and a summary outline [2].

The main contents of this regulation (draft) are:
1. Rectification and construction of the people's communes. The communes must implement the delegation of powers, appropriately handle the relationship between accumulation and consumption, reasonably resolve issues of product distribution and labor utilization, overcome egalitarianism and the phenomenon of excessive centralization and rigid control, further adjust the relationships between the state and the communes, between communes and production teams, between teams, and between teams and commune members, and consolidate the commune system.
2. The management system of the people's communes. (1) Under the unified leadership of the commune, powers should be delegated, with the production brigade as the basis, implementing a three-level accounting system where each level calculates its own profits and losses. (2) The scope of authority of the production teams. (3) The scope of authority of the county-level cooperative associations.
3. Several policy issues. (1) The communes must correctly determine the income distribution ratios for each production brigade. (2) The portion distributed to commune members for consumption must adhere to a system combining wage distribution with supply distribution. (3) Under current production conditions, the allocation of labor by the communes should prioritize agriculture. (4) Members of poor production teams should be educated in self-reliance, while their production difficulties should be addressed economically; members of rich production teams should also receive communist education. (5) Announce the conclusion of the requisition and procurement work. (6) Economic issues left over from the establishment of the communes should be handled based on the principle of "basically unchanged, with individual adjustments." (7) External debts incurred by the communes before changes in the system should, in principle, still be repaid in installments by the communes. (8) The communes must implement the policy of running the communes and all undertakings with diligence and frugality.

**Intra-Party Communication** [1]
(March 9, 1959)

Comrade Xiaoping [2]:
Please read the attached letter [3] and then immediately send it to Comrade Shaoqi for review. Ask Shangkun [4] to ensure it is transmitted by telephone to all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions tonight (March 9), excluding Tibet.

I have heard that Hunan has scheduled its six-level cadres conference for March 16, which is too late, hence this letter.

Mao Zedong
3:00 a.m., March 9

Qiaomu is currently assisting Comrade Wu Zhipu in revising the two conference documents [5] and will return to your office in a day or two.

*The Complete Works of Mao Zedong*, Volume 41

Comrades, First Secretaries of the Party Committees of All Provinces, Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions:

The Central Committee has scheduled an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau in Shanghai on March 25, and all of you are required to attend. The six-level cadres conferences to be reconvened by the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, based on the spirit of the resolutions of this Zhengzhou Conference and with the discussion of the people's communes as the main theme, will likely require about ten days. Therefore, they should be convened immediately. For example, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee has scheduled its conference for March 11, which is appropriate. If it is too late, it will be disadvantageous. If the time is too short, the analysis, exposure, and discussion of issues will inevitably be insufficient, and the resolutions will not be very appropriate or thorough—that is, neither deep nor penetrating. The conferences of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions should adopt a resolution on the management system of the people's communes and several specific policy issues, and the First Secretary should deliver a concluding speech to explain in depth and detail the principal contradictions currently facing the people's communes and the various policy issues. These two documents should be distributed immediately to provide clear guidance to lower levels. However, the formulation of ideas and the drafting of these two documents require time. If the conference opens on March 11, it may not conclude until March 20 or 22, allowing the First Secretaries to free themselves to attend the Shanghai meeting on March 25, thus making it more relaxed and less rushed. The six-level cadres conference of Henan can conclude on March 10, and their resolution and concluding speech can be finalized on March 9. These two documents will be delivered to you by air by the Central Committee before March 14 for your reference. The next step for Henan is to convene county-level four-level cadres conferences to convey and discuss the guidelines of the provincial six-level cadres conference and to discuss specific implementation methods for each county, commune, and team. The attendees of the county-level four-level cadres conferences will be: (1) several county-level representatives; (2) several commune-level representatives; (3) one to two representatives per production brigade; (4) one representative per production team. Additionally, some "wait-and-see" and "account-settling" factions will be included. The total number will range from over a thousand to over two thousand people. The conference duration will be seven to ten days. All counties in Henan are scheduled to hold their conferences simultaneously on March 13 or 14, concluding before March 23 or 24. The remaining week of March will be left for the communes, production brigades, and production teams to hold their meetings. In summary, March can essentially clarify and resolve a host of confused thoughts and contradictory conflicts concerning the people's communes. Starting in April, the entire Party and the entire people can, with a unified will, launch today's Great Leap Forward. I hope all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions will do the same. If the six-level cadres conferences of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions can be convened on March 11, like Hubei, and conclude before March 20 or 22, the county-level four-level cadres conferences can conclude by the end of March, and the discussions at the commune and team levels can conclude before April 10, which would be only about ten days later than Henan. Some comrades may think this is rushed and unprepared, and that the conference should be postponed. I believe this is not advisable. We already have clear guidelines. By quickly summoning the six-level cadres and immediately disseminating the guidelines, the major and minor contradictions will be exposed within a few days, and we will gain the support of the majority. We will seize the initiative, leaving the "wait-and-see" and "account-settling" factions with nothing to say. Of course, some people will be unable to accept it and will accuse us of reversing course. These people will have a few days of sleepless nights and poor appetite. But it will only last a few days. After a few days, they will come around. In short, slowness is not good; speed is needed. Some preparatory work can be done—first, slightly clearing up the thinking at the prefectural and county levels, though not necessarily completely; three or a few days will suffice. From March 4 to 10, there are six or seven days for preparation—is that not enough? It is more than enough. Prolonging it would be counterproductive.

The above is my suggestion. Whether it is feasible or not is still up to you to decide based on your own circumstances.

Mao Zedong
4:00 a.m., March 9, 1959, in Zhengzhou

*The Complete Works of Mao Zedong*, Volume 41

Manuscript of Mao Zedong's letter to Deng Xiaoping.

**Intra-Party Communication**

Manuscript of the *Intra-Party Communication* drafted by Mao Zedong.

--- Notes

[1] This first part is a comment forwarding the comprehensive materials from the six-level cadres conference of Henan Province on the system of the people's communes, distribution issues, poor and rich production teams, and several specific policy opinions. The second part consists of the title and explanation written by Mao Zedong for these materials.


[1] This is a letter from Mao Zedong to the First Secretaries of the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions regarding the convening of six-level cadres conferences focused on discussing the people's communes. The title was drafted by Mao Zedong.
[2] Xiaoping, i.e., Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Premier of the State Council.
[3] Refers to the second part of this document.
[4] Shangkun, i.e., Yang Shangkun, then Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.
[5] Refers to the *Regulations of the Henan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Management System and Several Policies of the People's Communes* and the *Summary Outline of the Six-Level Cadres Conference of the Henan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China*.


[2] Refers to the *Summary Outline of the Six-Level Cadres Conference of the Henan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China* (draft) prepared by Wu Zhipu, First Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, for the provincial six-level cadres conference.