Comrades, First Secretaries of Provincial, Municipal, and District Party Committees:

The situation in Changli County, Hebei Province, and the opinions they have raised are of a universal nature. Party committees at all levels in every locality should pay attention to resolving these issues, and the sooner the better. If you agree, please forward this letter and its attachment to Party committees at all levels, down to the branch secretaries of production teams.

Mao Zedong
May 2, 1959

Deliver immediately to Liu, Deng, Zhenlin [3] for review, and have Shangkun [4] send it by telegram. After sending, forward to Zhou, Chen, Lin, and Zhu [5] for review.

[1]
This piece is a letter from Mao Zedong to the First Secretaries of the Party Committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, forwarding a report by Wang Shaofei, Deputy Head of the Changli Working Group of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, dated April 13, 1959, on the recent work situation and problems in the communes of Changli County, Hebei Province. The title was drafted by Mao Zedong. Wang Shaofei’s report stated that spring plowing and sowing were currently being vigorously carried out in the countryside, with cadres and the masses fully engaged in the production campaign. After the structural changes, the attendance rate had increased, but a large portion of the masses were not very concerned about the structural changes and lacked enthusiasm. The reasons were: (1) The issue of distribution. Since the establishment of the communes, very little money had been distributed to the masses, leading them to doubt the distribution for 1959 and fear that distribution according to work would not be implemented after the autumn harvest. (2) The issue of production targets. The output targets assigned from above were far removed from reality. Grassroots cadres and the masses considered these to be wishful thinking and boasting, which dampened their enthusiasm. (3) The grain issue. At present, grain supplies were relatively tight, and in many places that had sold surplus grain, people were eating thin gruel for three meals a day, making it difficult to sustain labor. (4) The issue of balancing the interests of the large collective and small free collectives. The so-called issue of balancing the interests of the large collective and small free collectives referred to the question of authority among the communes, administrative districts, and production teams. At present, the relationship between the communes and administrative districts had been basically resolved, but the administrative districts were overreaching and exercising excessively rigid control, which was affecting the enthusiasm of the production teams.

[2]
This refers to Wang Shaofei’s report.

[3]
Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Zhenlin refers to Tan Zhenlin, who was then a Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.

[4]
Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who was then an Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.

[5]
Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Chen refers to Chen Yun. Lin refers to Lin Biao. At the time, they all served as Vice Chairmen of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premiers of the State Council. Zhu refers to Zhu De.