Directive on the Leadership of the Technological Innovation and Technological Revolution Movements
(16 March 1960)

To the Shanghai Bureau, all regional cooperation zone committees, all provincial, municipal, and autonomous region Party committees, and all ministries, commissions, and Party groups at the central level:

The document *Report of the Party Group of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions on the Current Situation of Technological Innovation and Technological Revolution* [1] and the document *On the Great Harvest of the Technological Revolution* from the tenth issue of *Economic News* [2], two documents in total, are hereby issued to you, and you are requested to distribute them to all urban Party committees, industrial and mining Party committees, and rural commune Party committees, for study and reference without exception. These are two important summary documents; please give them your attention. What the All-China Federation of Trade Unions has summarized is the experience of seven major cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Lüda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing. This is still far from sufficient. Wuhan, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Lanzhou, all provincial capitals, and all medium-sized cities in the provinces—for example, Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Luoyang, Huangshigang, Zhuzhou, Wuxi, Zhanjiang, Pingxiang, and hundreds of other important cities—should all promptly produce summaries and rapidly disseminate them. County-run industries and commune-run industries should also select key points for summary and disseminate them. The technological innovation and technological revolution movement has now become a great movement, and there is an urgent need to sum up experience, strengthen leadership, and promptly resolve problems within the movement, so as to guide the movement onto a correct, scientific, and nationwide track. This work of investigation, research, and summarization must be basically completed within the three months of March, April, and May this year. It shall be undertaken separately by the Party groups of central ministries and commissions, local Party committees at all levels, and Party groups of various departments, and relatively large-scale on-site meetings shall be convened. In January this year, the First Ministry of Machine Building convened an on-site meeting in Harbin, to which most cities were not invited—even major cities like Wuhan and Guangzhou were not invited—thus losing the effect of widespread and rapid dissemination, which is most regrettable. Henceforth, relevant departments should be asked to pay attention to this; this is of the utmost importance.

Central Committee
16 March 1960

--- Notes

[1] The report submitted by the Party Group of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on 5 March 1960 stated that the All-China Federation of Trade Unions had recently convened comrades in charge of production from the trade unions of seven cities—Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Lüda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing—and the Liaoning Provincial Federation of Trade Unions to discuss the development of the technological innovation and technological revolution movement. It was felt that a technological innovation and technological revolution centered on mechanization and semi-mechanization had become a vigorous and dynamic mass movement, developing with extraordinary speed, and foreshadowing the possibility for our country to achieve mechanization and semi-mechanization at an extremely rapid pace. The rapid increase in the level of mechanization and semi-mechanization has already demonstrated tremendous power in production, raising labor productivity, saving large amounts of manpower to expand production, ensuring a good start in January this year, and laying the foundation for fulfilling the year’s leap forward plan. At present, based on existing experience, the Party committees of the various cities have drawn up preliminary plans for this year, with gross industrial output value and labor productivity both significantly increased. It appears that this year will be a year in which our country creates miracles in socialist construction. The effects of the technological innovation and technological revolution movement are manifested not only in production but also in politics. Once liberated from heavy labor, the masses of workers and staff will love the Communist Party and Chairman Mao even more ardently, and will support and implement the General Line with greater conviction. Pushing this movement to a higher stage, that is, advancing towards automation and semi-automation, will rapidly change the face of our country’s technological backwardness. To ensure that this movement achieves even better results, the following problems need to be resolved: (1) The problem of materials. The materials needed should mainly be obtained through self-reliance, conservation, and substitution, and must not occupy production materials. (2) The problem of enterprise management. Corresponding reforms are needed in labor organization, technical supply and design, machinery maintenance, and rules and regulations to meet the needs of the movement’s development. (3) The problem of workers’ education. After production achieves mechanization and semi-mechanization, and automation and semi-automation, workers will be required to have a higher level of cultural and technical knowledge, and education will be needed to meet the demands of the new technology. On 18 March 1960, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China forwarded this report.


[2] This material, originally titled *The Technological Revolution Movement Reaps a Large-Area Harvest*, stated that the technological innovation and technological revolution movement in the nation’s industry, construction, and transportation sectors had already initially reaped a large-area harvest. This was concretely manifested in the following: 1. The movement greatly boosted current production. In February, the vast majority of the nation’s major industrial products exceeded their planned targets, and many enterprises fulfilled their first-quarter plans ahead of schedule. New products and cutting-edge products emerged in batches. 2. The degree of mechanization increased markedly, and large amounts of labor were saved. The labor intensity of workers was reduced, and working conditions improved; therefore, they called the technological revolution a “second liberation.” 3. Pathways were opened for the large-scale conservation of raw materials and other materials. 4. The mental outlook of workers and staff was also undergoing change. Many workers fought day and night without calculating remuneration, fully demonstrating the lofty aspirations and communist style of the working class. At present, technological innovation and technological revolution have already formed a nationwide mass movement. It is estimated that in the first half of this year, the industrial, transportation, and capital construction departments in large and medium-sized cities can basically cast off heavy physical labor, and by the end of the year, mechanization and semi-mechanization can be basically achieved; automation and semi-automation have become an inevitable trend. On 18 March 1960, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China forwarded this material.