Comments on the Publication of Four Articles, Including “The Production Situation at the Wang Guofan Commune Has Always Been Very Good” (August 6, 1959) These four articles [2] are hereby circulated to all comrades. I request that responsible officials of the party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions distribute the article on the Wang Guofan People’s Commune to all party committees of people’s communes under their jurisdiction, together with an introductory note, so that these committees may study them and determine which of the experiences set forth therein can be adopted. In my view, all of them are indeed adoptable. First, run the commune with diligence and frugality; second, raise more pigs (except among the Hui people who do not raise pigs); third, increase the herds of large livestock; fourth, acquire more large agricultural implements; fifth, implement the canteen system; sixth, carry out work in a down-to-earth, fact-based manner; seventh, consult the masses on all matters and adhere to the mass line. All these points are excellent. I believe that in every prefecture one can surely find one or several communes that are managed as well as the Wang Guofan Commune. I urge you to search diligently for such communes, study them carefully, write reports about them, publish these reports, and promote their practices nationwide. The article “Who Are the People Most Given to Idle Talk in the Countryside Today?” is also worth reading. It bears a close connection to those who currently indulge in idle talk at Lushan Mountain. Mao Zedong August 6

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When printing, please observe the following order: 1. Soviet Experts⋯ ⋯ ; 2. Wang Guofan⋯ ⋯ ; 3. Currently in the Countryside⋯ ⋯ ; 4. Next Year’s Heavy Industry⋯ ⋯ . Printed according to the manuscript. Notes [1] Wang Guofan was then the director of the Jianming People’s Commune in Zunhua County, Hebei Province. [2] Refers to four articles published in the “Economic News” sent for review on August 5, 1959, by Hu Qiaomu, alternate secretary of the CPC Central Secretariat and Mao Zedong’s secretary. Among them, “Some Recent Conduct of Soviet Experts” points out that many Soviet experts have recently expressed enthusiastic support for certain measures taken by our Party in economic work, particularly praising the emphasis placed everywhere on fulfilling production targets and improving product quality. Many experts are now working more actively than before, and they are offering more suggestions than previously. Those whose morale remains low are the experts attached to certain capital construction projects slated for suspension. The article “The Production Situation at the Wang Guofan Commune Has Always Been Very Good” states that the Wang Guofan Cooperative in Zunhua County, Hebei Province—once known seven years ago as the “Poor-Tool Commune”—has been doing very well in both production and daily life since it merged last year with other agricultural cooperatives to form the Jianming People’s Commune, consistently ranking among the top performers in all areas. The root cause lies in the local party organization’s unwavering adherence to the principle of running the commune with diligence and frugality since the collectivization campaign began, along with its year-on-year efforts to improve farmland infrastructure, acquire livestock and large agricultural machinery, and thereby enhance agricultural productivity. More proximately, during the height of the Great Leap Forward, the local party organization acted in a practical, down-to-earth manner, upheld the mass line, resisted the “communist wind,” correctly implemented the Party’s policies, encouraged private pig raising, organized effective canteens, and adopted the practice of allocating food rations based on individual needs while allowing any savings to accrue to the individual. The core leadership team centered on Wang Guofan has always maintained close ties with the masses, consulting them on all matters and seeking instructions from higher authorities when necessary. The article “Who Are the People Most Given to ‘Idle Talk’ in the Countryside Today?” describes a recent survey conducted by the Changsha Municipal Committee of the CPC on the political and ideological outlook of various social strata within the Linfu Commune in the suburban area. It notes that those most prone to idle chatter in the countryside today are newly emerged and long-established middle peasants, whereas the true opponents—namely, landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists—are few in number. By contrast, the poor peasants and the newly and long-established lower-middle peasants, who constitute the largest segment of the rural population, wholeheartedly support the Party and firmly embrace the path of collectivization. The article “What Should Be Done More in Heavy Industry Next Year?” presents some views put forward by certain colleagues at the State Planning Commission during their recent deliberations on next year’s plan regarding the need to adjust the internal proportions within heavy industry: namely, to increase steel production less and focus more on producing finished steel products; to import more petroleum and rubber, undertake more related infrastructure projects, and reduce the construction of machinery and vehicles that consume large quantities of oil and rubber; and to pay greater attention to developing basic chemical industries.