Opinions on the Hunan Report [1]
(March 9, 1959)
Comrade Xiaoping 121:
Please transmit this document by telephone tonight to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Attached is the Hunan report of the 8th. [4]
Mao
the 9th, 13:00 hours
Chuan

This is a comment written on the brief report submitted by the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee to the Central Committee on March 8, 1959, concerning the implementation of the Zhengzhou Conference instructions. The title was drafted by Mao Zedong.

[2] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.

[3] Refers to Part II of this document.

[4] The brief report from the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee to the Central Committee on March 8, 1959, stated that the Standing Committee of the provincial Party committee had recently held an enlarged meeting to convey and discuss the instructions of the Second Zhengzhou Conference.
As it was currently the intense period of spring plowing, preparation for planting, and tending to spring-harvest crops, implementing the spirit of the Zhengzhou Conference required solving problems sharply and deeply on the ideological front, while at the same time continuing to boost the momentum of the unfolding production leap forward movement. To this end, the provincial Party committee decided:
(1) To arrange current production work in accordance with the central authorities’ spirit of dividing levels and delegating authority.
(2) All counties are currently convening meetings to convey this year’s agricultural production leap forward plan, first striking up the production gongs and drums.
(3) To convene a province-wide conference of cadres at six levels on March 13.
(4) The provincial Party committee and all prefectural and municipal Party committees are immediately to each carry out one or two pilot projects, to thoroughly ascertain the ideological state of cadres and masses, and propose concrete plans for implementing the spirit of the Zhengzhou Conference.

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Complete Works of Mao Zedong, Volume 41

The Hunan Provincial Party Committee’s report of March 8 was received at 12:00 noon on the 9th. The conference of cadres at six levels should be early rather than late. Arranging production first is very correct. One or two strong leaders from the county, commune, brigade, and team should remain locally to direct production; farm work must on no account be delayed. However, the province-wide conference should be convened early, with participants coming to the provincial capital in two batches: the first batch comprising the four levels, the second batch the two levels; it should begin as a large-scale conference right away — this is how Henan Province conducted theirs. The conference will have commune cadres from three levels. Once the guiding policy is released, it will immediately burst open and the situation will be exposed — that is the best form of investigation. There is no need to carry out investigations beforehand, so as to save time. Many comrades have spent several months conducting investigations,