Five
The Central Committee believes that this issue must be resolutely and gradually resolved, uniformly following the practices adopted by the seven provinces and municipalities of Henan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanghai, and Anhui.
It would be best to do so.
,
/'
They should study this matter and put forward their views.
Seven
Producing starch on a large scale from plant stalks, stems, roots, and tubers is a major innovation that should be implemented in all people’s communes across the country.
Eight
Localities should actively conduct research.
Nine
All provincial, municipal, and regional Party committees are requested to pay attention to establishing living welfare committees at every level, from the province down to the commune, with the primary task being to run the canteens well.
Ten
The Central Committee considers these measures to be excellent.
Eleven
The Central Committee deems all of the aforementioned systems and measures to be very good.
Twelve
The Central Committee holds that the above-mentioned shortcomings should be promptly corrected, transforming three types of canteens into one type.
One
Two
Ten
The Central Committee believes that such statistics are extremely beneficial, enabling readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the national situation at a glance.


[!] This first section consists of remarks drafted by Mao Zedong to accompany the forwarding of three documents published in Issue No. 117 of the “Briefing on Current Affairs,” compiled and printed by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on March 7, 1960: “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens in Eight Provinces,” “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens in Henan Province,” and “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens Nationwide as of the End of 1959.” The second section contains a passage revised by Mao Zedong within the article “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens in Eight Provinces,” with his added comments enclosed in parentheses and printed in Song typeface. Sections three through nine comprise additional remarks added by Mao Zedong to the same article. Sections ten through twelve are remarks he appended to the article “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens in Henan Province,” while section thirteen consists of remarks he added to the article “The Situation of Rural Public Canteens Nationwide as of the End of 1959.”
March 18, 1960
The CPC Central Committee issued these remarks along with the relevant attachments.
[2]
Based on telephone reports from eight provinces—Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Gansu, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang—the General Office of the CPC Central Committee prepared this document, which states that during the recent campaign to rectify and reorganize rural communes, local authorities diligently improved existing public canteens and actively developed new ones. However, due to varying initial conditions and other factors, the level of development differed significantly among provinces.
Currently, most canteens are operating satisfactorily. The criteria for determining satisfactory operation can be summarized as follows:
(1) Cultivation of vegetables and raising of pigs allow for partial or complete self-sufficiency in non-staple foods;
(2) Effective management ensures a diverse menu, adequate food quantity, and good quality meals;
(3) A democratic management system has been established, with strict implementation of per capita rationing, meal ticket distribution, retention of surplus rations by individuals, and regular accounting procedures;
(4) Kitchen equipment has been modernized, leading to higher cooking efficiency; (5) Hygienic standards are maintained, and canteen facilities are relatively complete. Following the rectification efforts, the management of canteens across various regions has been markedly strengthened.
In Shandong, most canteens have set up living welfare committees. In Henan, over 90% of all canteens have established food management committees, with many also implementing grain management systems. Xixia County has even adopted a specialized approach: dedicated warehouses, separate accounting records, exclusive use of designated grain supplies, and individual responsibility for each task.
(After this passage, Mao Zedong added a comment in parentheses, which constitutes Section Three.) Many areas have also established systems of representatives of commune members’ interests, relying on the masses to ensure the proper functioning of the canteens. (After this sentence, Mao Zedong again added a comment in parentheses, forming Section Four.) In managing canteens effectively, several issues require attention:
(1) Several provinces believe that allocating grain quotas directly to households but distributing the actual grain to the canteen is an effective method for controlling grain supplies, reducing waste, improving living conditions, and consolidating canteen operations. However, some canteens distribute grain directly to households, resulting in shortages and significant difficulties. (Following this passage, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, constituting Section Five.) (2) With canteens now firmly established, how should commune members’ private plots be handled? Hebei Province suggests adopting a strategy of restriction and gradual reduction: first, strictly limit the size of private plots; second, allocate a portion of existing private plots to the canteen for growing vegetables and fodder; third, consolidate small-scale land reclamation and scattered idle land under unified planning by the production team, assigning them appropriately to subgroups for cultivation, while completely prohibiting individual commune members from reclaiming land. Other provinces have yet to offer specific opinions on this matter. (After this sentence, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, forming Section Six.) (3) It is essential to continue combining grain with vegetables to conserve grain. Hebei Province has promoted a method of increasing grain supply by producing starch from plant stalks and seeds, while Shandong Province has already produced 270 million jin of starch. (Following this point, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, creating Section Seven.) (4) Some localities have begun to consider comprehensive arrangements for the daily lives of the population. The Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee has decided that, in addition to improving canteens, it will establish integrated community service centers throughout rural areas in April. This represents a noteworthy new initiative. (After this statement, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, forming Section Eight.) (5) The key to running canteens well lies in strong leadership. The Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee has decided to establish living welfare committees at all levels, from the provincial to the commune level. The Gansu Provincial Party Committee has instructed that each party committee must have a secretary specifically responsible for overseeing welfare work in the communes, with particular emphasis on ensuring the smooth operation of canteens. In Henan, every level of the party committee has a secretary dedicated to managing public canteens, and cadres are dispatched to canteens to conduct experiments, personally serving as administrators and cooks. This serves as an important lesson for successfully running canteens. (After this point, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, forming Section Nine.)
[3]
According to a telephone report submitted by the Office of the Secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee on March 5, 1960, there are nearly 36,000 rural public canteens throughout the province, catering to 99% of the rural population. Among them, Class I canteens—those operating particularly well—account for 66%, Class II canteens make up 31.2%, and Class III canteens constitute 0.8%. These canteens are generally organized at the production team level, with secretaries at all levels of the party committee overseeing this work. Many party committees and cadres have engaged in intensive fieldwork at the canteens, treating them as experimental sites. Some counties have even implemented a three-tiered secretary system, sending officials to the canteens to serve as cooks and administrators, thereby strengthening the canteens through practical experimentation. (Following this passage, Mao Zedong added a comment in parentheses, forming Section Ten.) Currently, 87% of the province’s canteens have formulated plans to conserve grain, with some areas adopting per capita rationing, meal tickets, and mechanisms allowing individuals to retain any saved grain. Vegetable and livestock farming within the canteens has seen substantial growth, and some canteens have acquired kitchen equipment and expanded their infrastructure. Through improvements in cooking technology, significant amounts of labor and animal power have been saved, greatly reducing the workload of kitchen staff. Efforts to continuously improve canteen management have focused on the following areas:
(1) Leaders frequently visit canteens to identify problems and address them immediately.
(2) Purging and adjusting the canteen workforce.
(3) Establishing and perfecting democratic management systems.
(4) Emphasizing the training and development of kitchen and dining hall personnel. (After these points, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, forming Section Eleven.) Existing problems include:
(1) A small number of canteens have not paid sufficient attention to planned and economical grain usage, resulting in instances of exceeding allocated quotas.
(2) Uneven progress in spring planting activities.
(3) Coal supply difficulties in certain areas of eastern Henan.
(4) Instances of corruption and embezzlement among canteen staff have been discovered in some regions, leading to public dissatisfaction. (Following these issues, Mao Zedong added another comment in parentheses, forming Section Twelve.)
[4]
According to statistical data compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics in January 1960, by the end of 1959, there were 3.919 million public canteens operating in rural areas nationwide, serving approximately 400 million people—equivalent to 72.6% of the total population of people’s communes. Of these, over 90% of the population participated in canteen meals in seven provinces and municipalities: Henan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanghai, and Anhui. Between 70% and 90% of the population used canteens in seven other provinces and cities: Beijing, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hebei, and Shanxi. Meanwhile, 50% to 70% of residents relied on canteens in six other provinces and regions: Hubei, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, and Ningxia. Less than 50% of the population utilized canteens in seven more provinces and autonomous regions: Gansu, Shandong, Qinghai, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia. At the conclusion of this document, Mao Zedong added a comment in parentheses, forming Section Thirteen.


Central Committee’s Instructions on Strengthening Leadership of the Technological Innovation and Technological Revolution Campaign
(March 16, 1960)
To the Shanghai Bureau, all Cooperative Zone Committees, provincial, municipal, and autonomous region Party committees, and central-level ministries and Party groups:
“Report of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions’ Party Group on the Current State of Technological Innovation and Technological Revolution” II」
Item, “Economic News” Issue No. 10, “On the Great Harvest of the Technological Revolution”—two items in total—are hereby forwarded to you. Please distribute them to all city Party committees, industrial and mining Party committees, and rural commune Party committees for careful study and reference. These two documents are important summary reports, and you are urged to give them due consideration. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has summarized the experiences of seven major cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Lüda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing. However, this remains insufficient. Wuhan, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Lanzhou, as well as provincial capitals and medium-sized cities such as Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Luoyang, Huangshi Port, Zhuzhou, Wuxi, Zhanjiang, and Pingxiang—hundreds of important cities—should swiftly compile their own summaries and disseminate them widely. County-level industries and commune industries should likewise select key aspects for summarization and promotion. The current movement of technological innovation and revolution has become a grand undertaking, urgently requiring the compilation of experience, enhanced leadership, and timely resolution of emerging problems, so as to steer the movement onto a correct, scientific, and mass-oriented track. The work of investigation, research, and summarization should be substantially completed within March, April, and May of this year. This task shall be undertaken jointly by the Party groups of central ministries, local Party committees at all levels, and various departmental Party organizations, with large-scale on-site meetings to be convened. During a meeting held in Harbin by the Ministry of Machinery Industry in January of this year, most cities were not invited to participate, including major metropolises like Wuhan and Guangzhou, thereby missing an opportunity for widespread and rapid dissemination—a regrettable outcome. Relevant departments should take note of this going forward, as it is of paramount importance.
The Central Committee
March 16, 1960
Chuan
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions’ Party Group submitted this report to the CPC Central Committee on March 5, 1960, stating that recently, they had convened representatives from Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Lüda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing, along with comrades responsible for production-related affairs from the Liaoning Provincial Federation of Trade Unions, to discuss the development of the technological innovation and technological revolution movements. They concluded that technological innovation and revolution, centered on mechanization and semi-mechanization, had evolved into a vigorous mass movement, progressing at an exceptionally rapid pace. This development suggests that China may soon achieve a high degree of mechanization and semi-mechanization. The rapid advancement of mechanization and semi-mechanization has already demonstrated tremendous power in production, significantly boosting labor productivity, conserving vast amounts of manpower for expansion, and ensuring a successful start to the year in January, laying a solid foundation for achieving the year’s ambitious leap-forward plan.
At present, city Party committees, based on their prior experience, have formulated preliminary plans for this year, projecting substantial increases in both industrial output value and labor productivity. It appears that this year will be a remarkable one in China’s socialist construction. The impact of the technological innovation and revolution movement extends not only to production but also to the political sphere. By relieving workers from arduous labor, they will develop greater affection for the Communist Party and Chairman Mao, and will more vigorously support and implement the Party’s general line. Advancing this movement further toward automation and semi-automation will rapidly transform China’s technologically backward state. To ensure better results from this movement, the following issues must be addressed: (1) Material supply. Materials required should primarily rely on self-reliance and substitution, without encroaching upon production resources. (2) Enterprise management. Corresponding reforms are needed in labor organization, technical provision and design, machinery maintenance, and internal regulations to adapt to the demands of the movement’s development. (3) Worker education. As production becomes increasingly mechanized, semi-mechanized, and automated, workers will need higher levels of cultural and technical proficiency, necessitating educational programs to equip them with the skills required for new technologies.
On March 18, 1960, the CPC Central Committee forwarded this report.
[2]
This document, originally titled “The Technological Revolution Movement Has Achieved a Large-Scale Bountiful Harvest,” states that nationwide, workers…