Comrade XX:
This item is very good. Please have it published after it has been studied
within the New China News Agency. It looks like the hog raising enterprise
will develop on a massive scale. Except for the minority nationalities that ban
pork, the entire country should carry it out in accordance with the methods
used by the Wangjianshou People’s Commune of Wuqiao County, Hebei Province. In Wuqiao County, the accumulation of capital was easy, the policy was
correct, the drive was strong and development was rapid. Very high enthusiasm
is the key to it all. Procrastinating, feeling that neither this nor that could be
done and that there are layers upon layers of difficulties—these are the world
outlook of a coward, a lazy bone. It has none of the driving ambition and
strong determination of Marxism-Leninism. These people are a long way from
the style of a true communist. I have advised them to think it over carefully
and rectify their incorrect world outlook. I suggested that the communist party committees of the provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, districts,
counties and communes, as well as the party organizations of administrative
areas, production teams and production squads seriously consider and study
the hog-raising enterprises and the raising of cattle, sheep, donkeys, mules,
horses, chickens, ducks, rabbits and other enterprises and plan and adopt concrete measures for running such enterprises. I also suggested the establishment
of a committee or group on animal husbandry and domestic fowl raising enterprises. This is to consist of three or 5-9 persons. A comrade who is knowledgeable and has the enthusiasm for this kind of work and good at carrying out
work is to be the responsible leader of this committee or group. That is to say a
strong person should be assigned to provide the leadership. The production of
animal fodder should be carried out on a large scale. There are various fine and
coarse animal fodder, but it seems that corn is king of them all. This is the way
it is being done in the US; and the Soviet Union is also vigorously carrying this
out now. In China, the Wuqiao County of Hebei Province has also begun this
and it makes a person very happy to see it. In hog raising, there certainly must
be many areas which are as good as Wuqiao County. The entire country should

unfold this operation on a massive scale. And this matter must be reviewed as
equally important as that of raising food grains and elevating corn to staple
food. Some suggest elevating hog raising to the leading position among the
raising of six types of domestic animals and not in the order of “horse, cattle,
sheep, chicken, dog and pig.” I raise both hands in approval. For hogs to be
in the leading position is perfectly reasonable. The great pedologist and agriculturist, Mr. Wei Lian [Verin ?] of the Soviet Union stressed that agriculture,
forestry and animal husbandry are interdependent. Each is indispensable to
the other and the three must be placed on the same level of importance. This
is entirely correct. We hold that agriculture and forestry are the progenitors in
the development of animal husbandry, and animal husbandry is the progeny
of agriculture and forestry enterprises. After that, animal husbandry becomes
the progenitor of agriculture and forestry enterprises (mainly agriculture) and
agriculture and forestry become the progenies. This is the principle underlying
the balanced and equal positions the three occupy and their interdependence.
In the US the planting enterprise is carried out in conjunction with animal
husbandry. Our country must also take this route because it is an experience
proven to be truly effective. The source of fertilizers in our country is, first of
all, from the raising of hogs and big stock animals. If we could achieve the
objective ratio of one hog to a person and one hog to a mu of land, the major
source of fertilizer will then be resolved. This is chemical fertilizer 10 times better than inorganic chemical fertilizer. A hog is a small scale, organic chemical
fertilizer factory. Furthermore, a hog has meat. It has bristles, skin and bones,
and it has viscera (which can be used as raw materials for manufacturing medicine). So why don’t we take advantage of it? Fertilizer is food for plants, plants
are food for animals and animals, in turn, are food for humankind. Therefore,
from this it can be seen that it is definitely within reason to raise hogs and other
stock animals on a big scale. It seems that it will be possible to accomplish this
glorious and great mission within one or two five-year plans. Providing agriculture with machinery is the decisive factor in the development, on a huge scale
of the three-in-one combination of agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry.
The ministry of agricultural machine building [referring to the Eighth Ministry of Machine Building] has been established this year. From all appearances,
the mechanization of agriculture is not too far off.
Mao Zedong
October 11, 1959