Comments on Three Documents, Including a Great Debate on Grain Distribution in Guangdong’s Rural Areas (December 1959) This document [1] is worth reading. After Lin Ke [2] has reviewed it, please forward it to Comrade Chen Boda [3] for his perusal, then return it to Mao.

Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Notes [1] Refers to Issue No. 214 of the “Briefing on Current Situations,” compiled and printed by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on December 4, 1959. This issue contained a total of three articles.

The article “A Great Debate on Grain Distribution in Guangdong’s Rural Areas” pointed out that the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee had this year adopted the following policy regarding grain distribution: planned use, monthly economy in grain consumption, rational utilization, overfulfillment of state procurement quotas, maximum retention of feed grain and reserves to make up for shortages in lean years. Localities employed the method of accounting and comparison to summarize the experiences and lessons learned over several years in grain allocation and use, calculating the benefits of planned, economical, and rational grain consumption as well as the harms of failing to implement this policy. By using concrete facts to educate the masses and initiate debate, they succeeded in having the broad masses consciously and voluntarily carry out the provincial committee’s policy, thereby overachieving the state procurement targets within twenty days.

The main content of the article “Several Aspects of the Rectification Work in Henan’s Rural Areas” is as follows: First, on the basis of extensive and thorough mobilization of the masses, all localities paid particular attention to comparative education through the establishment of exhibition halls. Second, with regard to the selection of targets for focused criticism, localities proceeded with great caution. Third, concerning the proportion of those subject to focused criticism, localities conscientiously implemented the instructions of the provincial party committee, generally keeping it around one percent of the total number of commune members.

The article “A Great Debate on Socialist Ideology in One Company” notes that the Political Department of the Lanzhou Military Region, in collaboration with the Political Department of the 61st Division, conducted a pilot program of socialist ideological education in early November at the Sixth Company of the Second Battalion of the 181st Regiment. In order to lay a solid foundation for the entire educational campaign, they first provided instruction to the soldiers on the people’s communes, beginning with lectures followed by debates. The lectures concentrated on two key points: (1) the people’s commune is an inevitable outcome of China’s social development, refuting the view that its establishment was premature; and (2) the commune system possesses unparalleled advantages, refuting the claim that it had been “mishandled.” On this basis, the soldiers were then encouraged to engage in separate debates on these two issues. Following the debates, a mass self-assessment was conducted, with participants sharing their insights and progress. The soldiers generally felt that this educational effort had yielded substantial results.

[2] Lin Ke was at that time Secretary to Mao Zedong’s Office. [3] Chen Boda was then an alternate member of the CPC Central Politburo and Director of the Central Research Office of Political Affairs.