Central Committee Directive on Strengthening Leadership in the Movement for Technical Innovation and Technical Revolution

(March 16, 1960)

To the Shanghai Bureau, all cooperative area committees, all provincial, municipal, and autonomous regional Party committees, and all ministries, commissions, and leading Party groups at the central level:

The document "Report of the Leading Party Group of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions on the Current Situation of Technical Innovation and Technical Revolution" and the document "A Bumper Harvest in the Technical Revolution" from Issue No. 10 of *Economic News*, totaling two documents, are hereby issued to you. Please distribute them to all urban Party committees, industrial and mining Party committees, and rural commune Party committees for study and reference. These are two important summary documents, and we request that you pay close attention to them. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has summarized the experiences of seven major cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Luda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing. This is far from sufficient. Wuhan, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Lanzhou, all provincial capitals, and medium-sized cities in all provinces—such as Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Luoyang, Huangshigang, Zhuzhou, Wuxi, Zhanjiang, Pingxiang, and hundreds of other important cities—should promptly produce summaries and rapidly disseminate them. County-run industries and commune-run industries should also selectively produce summaries and promote them. The movement for technical innovation and technical revolution has now become a great movement, and it is urgent to sum up experiences, strengthen leadership, promptly resolve problems arising in the movement, and guide the movement onto a correct, scientific, and nationwide track. This work of investigation, research, and summarization must be largely completed within the three months of March, April, and May this year. The leading Party groups of central ministries and commissions, local Party committees at all levels, and leading Party groups of various departments shall undertake this work separately, and large-scale on-site meetings shall be convened. In January this year, the First Ministry of Machine Building held an on-site meeting in Harbin, but most cities were not invited to participate—even major cities like Wuhan and Guangzhou were not invited—resulting in the regrettable loss of the effect of widespread and rapid dissemination. Henceforth, relevant departments are requested to pay attention to this matter, as it is of the utmost importance.

Central Committee
March 16, 1960

[1] This report, submitted by the Leading Party Group of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on March 5, 1960, stated that the Federation had recently convened comrades responsible for production from the trade unions of seven cities—Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Luda, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Chongqing—as well as the Liaoning Provincial Federation of Trade Unions, to discuss the development of the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution. It was felt that a technical innovation and technical revolution centered on mechanization and semi-mechanization had become a vigorous mass movement, developing with extraordinary speed, and heralding the possibility that China could achieve mechanization and semi-mechanization at an extremely rapid pace. The rapid improvement 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 leap forward plan for the entire year. At present, based on existing experience, the Party committees of various cities have drawn up preliminary plans for this year, with significant increases in both gross industrial output value and labor productivity. It appears that this year will be one in which China creates miracles in socialist construction. The effects of the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution are manifested not only in production but also in politics. Once freed from heavy labor, the masses of workers and staff will love the Communist Party and Chairman Mao even more, and will more firmly support and implement the general line. Advancing this movement to a higher stage—that is, progressing toward automation and semi-automation—will rapidly transform China's technologically backward appearance. To ensure that this movement achieves better results, the following issues need to be addressed: (1) The issue of materials. The materials needed should primarily be obtained through self-reliance, conservation, and substitution, and must not encroach upon production materials. (2) The issue 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 issue of worker education. After production achieves mechanization and semi-mechanization, and automation and semi-automation, workers will be required to have higher cultural and technical levels, necessitating education to meet the demands of new technologies.
On March 18, 1960, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China forwarded this report.

[2] This material, originally titled "The Technical Revolution Movement Reaps a Large-Area Bumper Harvest," stated that across the nation...