We must not view the relationship between people as a father-son relationship, but as one of equality. Eliminate inequality, yet there must still be distinctions.

Steel, machinery, and electricity are very important; forestry is very important and must also become one of the fundamental issues.

The law of value does not play a regulatory role; it is merely a tool of calculation.

The people’s communes having implemented ownership by the whole people does not yet constitute communism.

After three years of bitter struggle, and then another twelve years, we can transition to communism.

Two Comments on a Situation Report
(March 8, 1959)

The report from the Hubei Provincial Party Committee dated March 7 is now to be immediately transmitted by telephone from the Secretariat of the Central Committee to the comrades of the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and regions for their reference. Hubei’s special...

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held in Zhengzhou from February 27 to March 5, 1959.
[2] The report of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, dated March 7, 1959, to the Central Committee and Mao Zedong on the situation regarding the implementation of the spirit of the Zhengzhou Meeting stated: In recent days, the Provincial Party Committee has firmly grasped one key point, namely, to implement the spirit of the Zhengzhou Meeting rapidly, extensively, and deeply, and has convened a series of cadre meetings at various levels. It has also scheduled a provincial six-level cadre conference to be held in Wuchang on March 11, with the addition of 600 tide-watchers and account-settlers from various localities, bringing the total number of participants to over 3,500. At present, the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee is conducting discussions based on the spirit of the Zhengzhou Meeting and the feedback received after its transmission, drafting documents to be submitted to the six-level cadre conference for further discussion. This enlarged meeting proposed: 1. According to the spirit of the Zhengzhou Meeting, after resolving the issue of ownership, it is still necessary to resolve the contradictions between the two roads, two kinds of thinking, and two styles of work; the method of resolution is Party rectification and commune rectification. 2. Proceeding from the actual situation in Hubei, the portion turned over by the former agricultural cooperatives (i.e., the current production brigades) to the commune should not be too large: 50% in 1958, around 10% in 1959, with a maximum not exceeding 15%. The accumulation of the production brigades remains at around 8%. 3. Necessary adjustments should be made to the originally set local industry plans and capital construction project plans. 4. Specific policy issues concerning the people’s communes are currently being collected, sorted, studied, and discussed.