Comment on the Report [1]
(July 10, 1959)

Distribute to all comrades for reference.

Mao Zedong
July 10

[1]
The report from the Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee on June 30, 1959, states: Our province has established a large number of public dining halls, with a history of over a year, which has had a profound impact in actual life. Their superiorities are: (1) They can liberate labor power, especially women’s labor power. (2) They suit the organizational form of collective production after communication. (3) They facilitate the improvement of the masses’ livelihood. (4) When well-run, they can economize on grain, fuel, and utensils. (5) They facilitate carrying out capital construction and realizing the reform of cooking utensils. (6) They facilitate engaging in small-scale collective sideline production. (7) They facilitate doing a good job in public health. (8) They can foster collective living habits and strengthen political and ideological work and cultural study. To further run public dining halls well in the future, the following problems must be resolved:
First, hand over the Central Committee’s policy of actively running them well and participating voluntarily to the masses for discussion, allowing them to recognize the superiorities of public dining halls through their own personal experience. Second, educate cadres and the masses to correctly understand the relationship between the big collective and small freedoms. Third, improve the operational management of the dining halls. Fourth, Party committees at all levels must continue to strengthen concrete leadership over the public dining halls.