Comments on Properly Resolving the Conflicts Arising from the Construction of the Linhuigang River-Blocking Reservoir (May 31 and August 5, 1959) Comrades Shaoqi and Xiaoping [1], after reading this, please forward it to Comrade Li Baohua, Secretary of the Party Group of the Ministry of Water Resources: Kindly ask the Ministry of Water Resources to dispatch a Party comrade at the vice-ministerial level—someone with both political acumen and technical expertise—accompanied by this document [2], to first go to Jinan and meet with Comrade Tan Zhenlin [3] (who is currently in Jinan) to discuss the matter.
This issue was decided last December at the Wuchang Conference through consultations among Comrades Tan, Zeng Xisheng, and Wu Zhipu [4]. Thereafter, proceed to Hefei to confer with Comrade Zeng Xisheng, then proceed to the Linhuigang site for an on-the-spot investigation to ascertain whether the situation truly corresponds to what the comrades in Huaibin County have reported.
Should it be deemed necessary to convene a meeting, call together one representative each at the department or bureau level, or at the deputy provincial governor level, from the water resources authorities of both provinces, along with one or two representatives from Huaibin County, Lingang County, and the Linhuigang Water Conservancy Project Bureau, so as to hold a meeting and reach a proper resolution.
Mao Zedong, May 31

Comrade Shangkun [ ]: A copy of this document [ ] should be sent to Comrade Wu Zhipu.
Mao, August 5. Printed from the manuscript.
Notes [1] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. [2] Refers to a telegram from the CPC Huaibin County Committee and the County People’s Committee to Mao Zedong concerning Anhui’s deviation from prescribed standards in the construction of the Linhuigang River-Blocking Reservoir.
The telegram stated that Huaibin County in Henan Province, situated in the middle reaches of the Huai River, has low-lying terrain and had long suffered from flooding before liberation; since liberation, however, the flood threat had been eliminated, a development hailed by the masses as a “second liberation.”
This time, Anhui was constructing a river-blocking reservoir at Linhuigang without adhering to the standards previously approved by the Chairman.
The project design exceeded the original specifications, which would expand the inundation area in the middle and upper reaches of the river, thereby inflicting substantial losses on Huaibin County and causing great anxiety among the local population.
The telegram set forth specific demands and conditions for resolving the issue, emphasizing that the reservoir’s flood-control water level must not exceed the originally designated 25.3 meters. [3] Tan Zhenlin was then a Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and a Vice Premier of the State Council. [4] Zeng Xisheng was then First Secretary of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee, while Wu Zhipu held the same post in Henan Province and also served as Governor of Henan Province. [ ] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who at the time was an Alternate Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Central Office. [ ] Refers to a report dated July 2, 1959, submitted by the CPC Fuyang Prefectural Committee of Anhui to Mao Zedong.
The report stated that the provincial committee had forwarded to the Chairman a report from the Huaibin County Committee of Henan, noting that the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power had decided to postpone the construction of the Linhuigang Reservoir.
Consequently, they were submitting their views and requests to him.
The Huaibin County report had pointed out that the reservoir’s flood-control water level should not exceed 25.3 meters; otherwise, even a flood comparable to that of 1954 could breach the reservoir, let alone a more severe one.
Therefore, they considered the Huaibin County report unreasonable.
As for the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power’s decision to delay the project, they saw no justification for it.
Such a move would entail significant economic and production losses and would make it difficult to explain the situation to the public.
Subsequently, on October 15, 1959, the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee issued instructions to both the Anhui and Henan provincial committees, stating that the Linhuigang Reservoir project had already been preliminarily discussed at Lushan, and that recently the Ministry of Water and Electricity had again convened representatives from the two provinces to exchange views, reaching a consensus on proceeding with the construction of the reservoir and equipping it with adequate flood-control capacity.
The current point of contention concerned how to determine the water level.
In order not to impede the progress of the project, we agreed that Anhui could construct the control sluice gates according to the original design this winter, while reserving space for future expansion.
Until an agreement on the flood-control water level is reached, the crest of the earth dam should not exceed 25 meters.