Comments and Revisions on the Draft Central Directive Concerning the Allocation of Private Plots to Commune Members to Promote the Rearing of Pigs, Chickens, Geese, and Ducks [1] (May 7, 1959) I. This was agreed upon yesterday with Comrades Li Xiannian, Tan Zhenlin, and Liao Luyan [2]. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript at 2:00 a.m. on May 7. II.
To be immediately forwarded for review to Liu, Deng, Zhou, Zhu, and Lin [3]; Shangkun [4] will transmit it by telephone.
Another copy is to be printed as previously instructed.
Printed according to Mao Zedong’s manuscript.
III.
Over the past few months, the number of pigs has declined sharply, which is highly detrimental to three major matters: manure accumulation, the supply of pork, and the acquisition of personal pocket money.
To swiftly reverse this situation, we must adopt a policy that equally emphasizes both collective pig-raising at all levels of the communes and private rearing by individual households—walking on two legs.
The same applies to chickens, ducks, and geese.
Printed according to Mao Zedong’s revised version.
IV.
This matter [ ] requires prompt action; please make a decision soon and issue instructions for implementation.
Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.
Notes [ ] The text typeset in Song typeface in Section III represents additions and revisions made by Mao Zedong; Section IV consists of a single sentence added by Mao at the end of the directive.
Mao also drafted the title “On Allocating Private Plots to Facilitate the Development of Pig, Chicken, Goose, and Duck Rearing.”
On May 7, 1959, the CPC Central Committee transmitted this directive to the party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. [2] Li Xiannian and Tan Zhenlin were then members of the CPC Central Secretariat and vice premiers of the State Council.
Liao Luyan served as deputy head of the CPC Central Rural Work Department and minister of agriculture. [ ] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi; Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at the time was general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council; Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai; Zhu refers to Zhu De; and Lin refers to Lin Biao, who held the posts of vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council. [4] Shangkun is Yang Shangkun, who at the time was an alternate member of the CPC Central Secretariat and director of the Central Office. [ ] Refers to allocating a certain amount of private land to commune members so that they may privately raise pigs, chickens, geese, and ducks.
The revised directive reads: “In order for commune members to raise pigs, chickens, geese, and ducks privately, they should be allocated a corresponding amount of private land.
The size of such plots shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the original statutes of the advanced cooperatives, calculated per capita, not exceeding five percent of each person’s average land holding.
Alternatively, one or two fen of fodder land may be allotted for each pig.
The specific arrangements are to be decided independently by the party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions based on local conditions.”

Telegram from Mao Zedong et al. Congratulating Czechoslovakia on its National Day (May 8, 1959) To Comrade Antonín Novotný, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and President of the Czechoslovak Republic; to Comrade Zdeněk Fierlinger, Chairman of the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic; and to Comrade Viliam Široký, Prime Minister of the Czechoslovak Republic: On the occasion of the fourteenth anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the Government and People of the People’s Republic of China, we extend our warm fraternal greetings to you and, through you, to the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, the Government and People of the Czechoslovak Republic.
Over the past year, under the correct leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak people have achieved significant successes in developing the socialist economy and raising the material and cultural standards of living.
At present, the Czechoslovak people are confidently striving to fully realize the grand goal of completing socialist construction as set forth at the Eleventh Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
Steadfastly committed to proletarian internationalism and peace-loving, the Czechoslovak people have made important contributions to strengthening the unity of the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union, safeguarding the purity of Marxism-Leninism, resolutely opposing modern revisionism, and upholding the great struggle for world peace.
The Chinese people are deeply grateful to the Government and people of the Czechoslovak Republic for the fraternal assistance and support they have provided us in our socialist construction and in our struggle to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity against U.S. imperialist aggression and foreign interference.
We are firmly convinced that as the socialist endeavors of our two countries continue to flourish, the fraternal friendship and close cooperation between the Chinese and Czechoslovak peoples will be further consolidated and developed, thereby contributing to the great unity of the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union and to the cause of maintaining world peace.
May the unbreakable fraternal friendship between the Chinese and Czechoslovak peoples endure forever!
The Communist Party of China Chairman of the CPC Central Committee Mao Zedong President of the People’s Republic of China Liu Shaoqi Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Zhu De Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Zhou Enlai Dated in Beijing According to the edition published in the People’s Daily on May 9, 1959.