Instruction on the Question of Universal Popularization[1]
(December 1959)
To be read by Chen, Hu, Deng, Tian, and Lin[2] in turn, then returned to Mao.

The question of whether urban people’s communes should be universally popularized.

[1] This instruction was written on No. 223 of the *Information Bulletin* compiled and printed by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on December 10, 1959. The material carried in this issue of the bulletin, titled “All Cities in Heilongjiang Province Have Basically Realized Communization,” stated that people’s communes were universally established in the large and medium-sized cities and small towns of Heilongjiang Province between September and November of last year. After a year of continuous consolidation and strengthening, the population joining the communes in the province’s 8 large and medium-sized cities has now reached 69.2%, and the urban districts and neighbourhoods have in fact already begun to embark on the path of integrating government administration with commune management. The superiority of the urban people’s communes is mainly manifested in the following aspects:
(1) Industrial production has been greatly developed. (2) Suburban agricultural production has been greatly promoted, and diversified operations such as animal husbandry and vegetable growing have been developed. (3) Employees’ family members and neighbourhood residents have been universally organized and have directly participated in various production and service undertakings; many cities have basically achieved the state of having no idle persons. (4) The development of great communist cooperation has been advanced as never before. (5) The people’s livelihood has been improved. (6) The people’s level of consciousness has been raised, and their mental outlook has been changed. (7) Favourable conditions have been created for the transition from collective ownership to ownership by the whole people, and the time for the transition has been accelerated.

[2] Chen refers to Chen Boda, then alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, director of the Central Political Research Office, and secretary to Mao Zedong. Hu refers to Hu Qiaomu, then alternate secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and secretary to Mao Zedong. Deng refers to Deng Liqun, then deputy editor-in-chief of the journal *Hongqi*. Tian refers to Tian Jiaying, then deputy director of the Central Political Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and secretary to Mao Zedong. Lin refers to Lin Ke, then secretary in Mao Zedong’s office.