Instruction on Properly Arranging to Get Through the Spring Famine
(April 26, 1959)

This document is to be issued to all provincial Party committees, municipal Party committees, and autonomous region Party committees. You are requested to take measures without fail on this issue, make proper arrangements to get through the spring famine, safely bridge the gap to the wheat harvest and early rice, plant more melons and vegetables, pay attention to having food while eating sparingly—eat less during idle times and more during busy times. You must absolutely not be careless.

Mao Zedong
April 26

This refers to the report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, carried in Issue No. 17 of the *Disaster Relief Work Bulletin* compiled and printed by the Office of the Central Disaster Relief Committee on April 23, 1959, concerning the improvement of the spring famine due to strengthened work in various areas. The report states:
In Henan, the spring famine has stopped spreading throughout the province, but there are still a small number of mess halls that have not met the grain consumption standards set by the provincial Party committee. The prefectural and county Party committees in the disaster areas are organizing cadres to conduct a major inspection of the commune members' living conditions.
In Hebei, thanks to the considerable work carried out in various places, the spring famine has stopped spreading but has not yet been fundamentally alleviated; it is necessary to heighten vigilance and strengthen the work.
In Shandong, all localities are currently pressing ahead with arrangements for the people's livelihood. In most areas, the outflow of peasants has ceased, and cases of edema have begun to decline, but in a few areas the spring famine is still developing.