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

Regarding the issue of county and commune meetings.

The six-level cadre conferences at the provincial, municipal, and regional levels are about to conclude. Should we now convene four- or five-level cadre conferences at the county level? In my view, such conferences should indeed be held—held on a large scale and with great fanfare—provided that no reports are published in the newspapers. In Henan Province, counties are currently holding four-level cadre conferences; these gatherings are both lively and highly beneficial. Leading officials at the provincial level are directly overseeing several counties, drawing on their experience to guide all others. Hubei, Guangdong, and Jiangsu have already instructed every county across their respective provinces to hold similar meetings. The Jiangyin County Committee in Jiangsu has already arranged a conference involving 50,000 participants. Two counties in Henan are holding ten-thousand-person meetings, while most others are assembling four to five thousand people. I propose that counties organize five-level cadre conferences, encompassing the county committee, the commune party committee, the production brigade (or management zone), the production team (formerly the advanced cooperative), and the production sub-team (also known as the work group). Each level should be represented, ensuring that team leaders under the commune, all branch secretaries and production team leaders, all general branch secretaries and production brigade chiefs of the management zones, as well as a contingent of commune-level cadres, all attend. There will inevitably be those who remain ideologically unconvinced—opportunists and accountants—who should be included, ideally comprising about one-tenth of the total. A small number of active members among the commune members may also be invited. The goal is for all these individuals to hear the address delivered by the county committee’s First Secretary, whose perspective is generally more elevated than that of an ordinary commune First Secretary. Following this, open discussions should be initiated, with freedom of speech and extensive airing of views over a period of several days, so as to achieve ideological consensus. It is essential that the three opposing factions confront one another at the meeting: the one-tenth composed of opportunists and accountants—many of whom are mistakenly labeled as such, when in fact they are not—and the remaining nine-tenths representing the progressive forces. Three to four days devoted to debate should suffice. Subsequently, another three to four days can be allocated to resolving specific practical issues, making a total of seven or eight days entirely adequate. A five-level conference at the county level will undoubtedly be more dynamic and vigorous than a six-level conference at the provincial level. Commune and county party committee First Secretaries must be instructed on how to conduct this work. During the conference, these comrades should be convened separately for a briefing, enabling them to draw valuable lessons from the recent months, when inappropriate measures such as the “communist gale,” the policies of equalization, arbitrary redistribution, and excessive collection led to a temporary estrangement from the masses. Going forward, by thinking more carefully and working more skillfully, they will be able to re-establish close ties with the people. It would be appropriate to discuss, in addition to the existing dual ownership structure—communal ownership at the commune, management zone (production brigade), and production team (former advanced cooperative) levels, with secondary management and tertiary accounting—the issue of partial ownership at the production sub-team level (the production group or work group). This proposal was put forward by Comrades Wang ×× and Tao ××. I believe it is reasonable and worthy of consideration. The county-level conference could be concluded by late March, allowing for an entire month in April without convening any commune congresses. During this time, priority should be given to production, with smaller meetings held to address specific problems. Individual production teams may convene party member assemblies during periods of spare labor, followed by mass meetings, thereby fostering a nationwide discussion. Since several hundred people from each commune will have already participated in the county-level gathering, the key issues will have been thoroughly aired, paving the way for direct, widespread deliberations among the entire population. Some counties in Hubei have already begun such nationwide discussions. By May, all communes across the country could set aside three days—three days would be ample—to hold the first General Congress of Commune Members. Delegates should include men and women, old and young, progressives and skeptics (excluding landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, and bad elements, but including prosperous middle peasants) to deliberate on certain matters and elect the commune committee. It is suggested that such congresses be convened four times a year, each lasting one, two, or three days. Commune First Secretaries must learn to lead these meetings effectively. Our comrades serving as commune party committee secretaries must, at every moment, keep the interests of the masses foremost in mind and constantly assess whether their policies align with the current level of awareness and pressing needs of the people. Any measures that violate these two principles are bound to fail. County and prefectural committees should pay close attention to strengthening leadership within the communes, dispatching politically robust cadres to assist those less capable. Prefectural committees, in particular, should ensure that weaker county committees receive targeted support. Both counties and communes must likewise reinforce the leading core within the production teams—generally the former advanced cooperatives—which serve as the basic units of accounting. The foregoing constitutes merely a set of recommendations. How best to proceed remains for your collective consideration and decision. While the county holds its conference, all levels of the commune should assign dedicated personnel to oversee production or rotate attendance, so as not to disrupt the farming season.

Wuchang, 7:00 a.m., March 17, 1959