Comments and Revisions on the Draft Directive of the Central Committee Regarding the Circulation of Hunan Province’s Pilot Report on Rectifying People’s Communes [1] [2] (October 15, 1959) 1. Forward immediately to Comrade Peng Zhen [3] for action. ·· Printed by Mao from the manuscript. 2. The Central Committee’s directive on circulating the Hunan Provincial Party Committee’s experience regarding the selection of ten production teams within ten communes to conduct a pilot rectification campaign—a struggle between two roads—was printed based on Mao Zedong’s revised version. Notes [1] Refers to the report of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee’s Rural Work Department on the symposium concerning the pilot rectification of people’s communes, along with the Xiangtan Prefectural Party Committee’s report on several major issues arising during the Shaoshan Commune’s pilot rectification, both of which were forwarded by the Hunan Provincial Party Committee on October 4, 1959. [2] This directive issued by the CPC Central Committee on October 15, 1959, stated that the experience gained from Hunan’s pilot project clearly demonstrates that a struggle between two roads is currently underway in the countryside. This struggle is a continuation of the decade-long confrontation between capitalist and socialist paths in rural areas and constitutes a fierce and profound class struggle. From these materials, one can see how a certain segment of affluent middle peasants, together with a small number of right-leaning opportunist elements among the cadres who represent their interests, have been brazenly opposing the people’s communes, the Great Leap Forward, and the General Line, fundamentally rejecting socialism. It should not be assumed that the offensive by this group of affluent middle peasants is confined to a few regions and involves only a small number of individuals, thus posing little threat. Although they constitute only a portion of the affluent middle peasantry, their harmful influence is significant and deserves serious attention. Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions should set aside an appropriate period of time to carry out a rectification campaign aimed at waging the struggle between two roads and conducting socialist education, simultaneously focusing on both political work and production. They should lead the masses in a planned and step-by-step manner, employing a gentle and persuasive approach to launch a rectification movement within the communes and a corresponding campaign to purify the Party and the Youth League. [3] Peng Zhen was then a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a Secretary of the Central Secretariat. [4] This is the title of the central directive after Mao Zedong’s revisions; the text typeset in Song typeface represents additions and alterations made by Mao. In addition, Mao also made several minor textual changes to the directive.