Directive on Convening Five-Level Cadre Meetings to Implement Policy
Commentary on the Situation Report [1]
(2 November 1960)

To all Central Bureaus, Party Committees of Provinces, Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions; also to all central ministries and commissions, and to all Party Leading Groups:

We are now forwarding the report of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee dated 28 October 1960 for your reference. Please read it carefully, draw upon Anhui’s experience, adapt it to your own circumstances, formulate appropriate measures, and implement them without delay—indeed, as quickly as possible. It is of utmost importance that you complete the holding of five-level cadre meetings at the county level within the next two months, November and December, and submit a report on this matter to the Central Committee.

The Central Committee
2 November 1960

Comrades Enlai, Fuchun, and Zhenlin [2] should review this document. Within two days, Comrade Fuchun is requested to transmit it by telegram; please ensure there is no delay!

Return the attachment to me after use.

Mao Zedong
2 November, 2:00 a.m.

[1]
This report from the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee to the Central Committee, to Mao Zedong, and to the East China Bureau, concerning the convening of five-level cadre meetings in each county to implement policy, states:

“Beginning in early October, we convened, at the county level, five-level cadre meetings comprising production team leaders and above, to conduct a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Central Committee’s and Chairman Mao’s series of directives and policies on rectification and the consolidation of people’s communes since the Zhengzhou Conference. A total of more than 365,000 cadres and commune member representatives attended across the province. The meetings were conducted as follows: (1) The county party secretary delivered a report summarizing the achievements made over the past year, pointing out pressing problems still existing in certain communes and brigades—such as “communist wind,” exaggeration, and coercive commandism—and acknowledging the shortcomings in the county committee’s own policy implementation, while expressing firm leadership resolve. (2) Detailed explanations were given of the specific policies announced in the two public notices issued by the Provincial People’s Committee, including strengthening the responsibility system at the production team level; fixing labor, land, draft animals, and farm tools; instituting a system of fixed output targets, prescribed measures, work-point allocation, and clear rewards and punishments; improving the maintenance and utilization of draught animals and farm implements; strictly implementing the system of work assessment and scoring with bonuses for exceeding quotas; reserving necessary private plots for individual commune members; properly managing commune members’ private fertilizer accumulation; making full use of fallow land for collective cultivation by production teams to improve living standards; vigorously promoting vegetable growing and pig raising; requiring cadres to participate in manual labor; and balancing work with rest. (3) On the basis of clarifying the policies and enhancing understanding, mass inspections and evaluations were carried out to commend good cadres and expose and deal with misconduct by bad elements. (4) Leaders at all levels formulated concrete measures for implementing the policies and made arrangements for current production tasks. To disseminate the spirit of the meetings to the masses, after the county-level meetings concluded, various localities held commune member assemblies at the brigade or production team level to widely communicate the content of the meetings, explaining the two notices of the Provincial People’s Committee clause by clause. At the same time, efforts were stepped up to ensure prompt fulfillment of these policies. By adopting a direct, bottom-up approach that brought the policies into direct contact with the broad masses, everyone was filled with enthusiasm, and a new, vigorous atmosphere emerged in production.

At present, however, there remain certain issues in the implementation of policy that still require further resolution. We have instructed party committees at all levels to carry out thorough re-examinations to ensure that all directives and policies issued by the Central Committee and Chairman Mao are fully implemented and realized.”

[2]
Fuchun refers to Li Fuchun, and Zhenlin refers to Tan Zhenlin, both of whom at that time served as members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretaries of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premiers of the State Council.