A Comment on the Ten-Point Regulations of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee on Rectifying the People’s Communes
(March 24, 1959)

This document is simple and clear. Distribute it to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and regions, as well as prefectural and county Party committees, for reference.

Mao Zedong
March 24, 1959

Please ask Shangkun [2] to transmit it by telephone to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and regions, and also print and distribute it to all comrades attending the meeting [3].

[1] This refers to the Ten-Point Regulations (Draft) on Rectifying the People’s Communes issued by the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China on March 22, 1959. The main contents are as follows: (1) Determining the basic accounting unit. In principle, the former advanced cooperative should serve as the basic accounting unit, and the original production teams should be adjusted accordingly. (2) Determining leadership personnel. Leaders at all levels must obtain the consent of the masses and be elected by the masses before formally assuming leadership positions. (3) Determining tasks. The communes must ensure the fulfillment of the production plans and procurement tasks set by the state, while also formulating their own production plans, which, together with the state procurement tasks, are to be assigned to each basic accounting unit. (4) Determining distribution plans. The people’s communes shall distribute state taxes and commune accumulation funds to the basic accounting units, which shall then formulate annual distribution plans based on this, so that both cadres and commune members have a clear understanding and their enthusiasm is mobilized. (5) Determining collective welfare. (6) Determining methods of labor remuneration. The people’s communes shall calculate labor remuneration in accordance with the socialist principle of "distribution according to work, more pay for more work." (7) Determining the labor force. At present, the labor force used in agriculture in rural areas should account for more than 80% of the total labor force, and non-productive personnel should be minimized. (8) Determining the partial ownership of production teams. Necessary powers should be granted to production teams in aspects such as arranging production, utilizing labor, managing finances, and distributing income. (9) Determining the industrial management system. Existing commune industries should be placed under the management of the commune, production brigades, or production teams based on factors such as scale, technical level, and service scope. (10) Policy-based provisions were also made regarding account settlement, land, draft cattle, farm tools, funds, seeds, grain rations, fertilizers, and other issues. When Mao Zedong approved and circulated this draft regulation, he titled it "Zhejiang’s Ten-Point Regulations."

[2] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who was then an 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.

[3] This refers to the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which was soon to be held in Shanghai.