Commentary on the Briefing Regarding the Anhui Province Six-Level Cadre Conference (March 15, 1959) Comrade Xiaoping [1]: Anhui’s briefing of March 11 [2] is excellent. Please promptly forward it to the party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Upon receipt, copies may be distributed to all comrades currently attending the meetings. Furthermore, Guangdong’s second briefing [3] and Shandong’s first and second briefings [4] are also commendable. Please transmit these documents simultaneously to the relevant conferences for printing and distribution as reference material. Mao Zedong March 15, 1959, 6:00 a.m., Wuchang Printed from the original manuscript. Notes [1] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at the time held the positions of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. [2] Refers to the briefing submitted by the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee on March 13, 1959, detailing the discussions held during the six-level cadre conference on March 11. The briefing indicates that the Anhui conference continued its group discussions on the 11th. During these deliberations, commune-level cadres further recognized both the great achievements of collectivization and certain problems that had arisen in its implementation. The vast majority had come to a clear understanding of the relationship between nine fingers and one thumb. When examining shortcomings [3], commune cadres analyzed three main causes behind last year’s “communist wind”: first, their own confusion, mistaking the “communist wind” for a beneficial trend; second, the spread of a “contagious disease” through mutual infection; and third, the transmission of erroneous instructions from relevant provincial authorities. Notably, commune-level cadres contributed relatively little to the discussion. The provincial party committee had specially convened a separate meeting for them to reiterate that the primary responsibility lay with the provincial leadership, thereby alleviating their concerns. However, they were also urged to carefully reflect on their own experiences and speak out boldly. In annotating this briefing, Mao Zedong changed its title to “The Experience of Anhui.” [3] Refers to the second report submitted by the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee to the Central Committee and to Mao Zedong at 11 p.m. on March 11, 1959, concerning the implementation of the resolutions adopted at the Zhengzhou Conference. See note [2] on page ___. [4] Refers to the report submitted by the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee to the Central Committee and to Mao Zedong on March 10, 1959, regarding the implementation of the spirit of the Zhengzhou Conference, as well as to the follow-up report provided by Shandong Provincial Party Committee First Secretary Shu Tong at 4 p.m. on March 12 concerning the Shandong six-level cadre conference. The Shandong report states that from the 5th to the 8th of this month, they convened a meeting of regional, city, and county party secretaries to convey the spirit of the Zhengzhou Conference and prepare for the six-level cadre conference. At the meeting, all participants unanimously agreed that, upon hearing the Chairman’s instructions, they had identified the key to resolving current rural problems: addressing the issue of ownership and attaching great importance to the ownership structure of production teams. In the past, the commune had exercised excessive centralization—“one uniform standard, two centralized adjustments, three unified collections”—which effectively negated the autonomy of production teams, driven by an impetuous desire to hasten the transition to communism. Many cadres, after receiving these instructions, felt enlightened and immediately telephoned home, demanding an end to practices that undermined the position of the production team. However, the discussions also revealed numerous misconceptions and lingering ideological hesitations, particularly regarding whether to designate the production team or the administrative district as the basic accounting unit. These issues still require further resolution at the six-level cadre conference. According to Shu Tong’s report, Shandong’s six-level cadre conference has already been underway for three days since the 9th of this month. Following the Zhengzhou Conference, morale among grassroots cadres soared, with the vast majority believing that the Chairman’s instructions were entirely correct, accurately pinpointing the principal contradiction. They felt that by acting in accordance with these directives, they could fundamentally alleviate the current tense situation. Grain shortages, production difficulties, and many other pressing problems would consequently be resolved. Numerous cadres subsequently called or wrote letters home, urging their respective units to intensify production and rectify past mistakes. To ensure a thorough and in-depth discussion, we propose conducting the conference in two phases: the first phase will focus on sharing personal concerns and openly laying bare contradictions, while the second phase will concentrate on untangling knots, drafting rules and regulations, and preparing documents pertaining to the management system of people’s communes and several specific policy matters. After the conference concludes, localities may continue to hold additional meetings at the commune level, integrating the spirit of the Zhengzhou Conference into the ongoing campaign to rectify and improve people’s communes. Meetings at the county level can be postponed and convened as needed.