Comment on Bo Yibo’s Report on the Movement for Technical Innovation and Technical Revolution

(April 24, 1960)

This document (1) is to be sent to all provincial Party committees, all Party committees of large and medium-sized cities, all regional Party committees of autonomous regions, and all departments and Party groups at the central level.

Xiaoping and Peng Zhen (2) are to read it. Shangkun (3) is to handle it.

Mao Zedong
April 24

1. It is a movement on a nationwide scale;
2. It is a movement for comprehensive technical transformation;
3. It is a movement that first achieves mechanization and semi-mechanization to liberate heavy manual labor and manual operations;
4. It is a movement with a strong scientific character;
5. It is a movement that combines modern and indigenous methods and relies on self-reliance;
6. It is a movement of uninterrupted revolution and continuous leaps forward;
7. It is a movement rich in content and diverse in organizational forms;
8. It is a movement integrated with the revolution in production organization;
9. It is a movement integrated with the ideological revolution;
10. It is a movement integrated with the cultural revolution. These ten major characteristics demonstrate that this movement is far broader and more profound than previous movements for technical innovation and technical revolution, marking its entry into a new stage of development. Moreover, they allow us to discern the future direction of the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution. We have begun to find a new path for developing our economy, science, and technology with greater, faster, better, and more economical results by adopting the method of launching large-scale mass movements. This represents a major victory for Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought on our economic front and in the realm of science and technology. To ensure that the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution advances consistently along the correct, scientific, and nationwide track and promotes the sustained, continuous great leap forward of the national economy, the following major tasks must be undertaken at present:
First, ensure the overfulfillment of the second account of this year’s state plan, which is one of the primary objectives that the current technical innovation and technical revolution must achieve.
Second, vigorously promote the increased production, conservation, and comprehensive utilization of raw materials, materials, and fuels, which is the main direction of attack in the current technical innovation and technical revolution.
Third, accelerate the technical transformation of agriculture, which is a major task for industrial departments in the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution.
Fourth, continuously improve management work to promote the development of the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution.

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the report submitted to Mao Zedong on April 18, 1960, by Bo Yibo, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the State Economic Commission. The report states: At this conference of industrial secretaries, I delivered a report on behalf of the Party group of the Economic Commission concerning the movement for technical innovation and technical revolution. It pointed out that this movement has blossomed in full variety across the nation, each region displaying its own distinctive features while sharing many common characteristics:

[2] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Peng Zhen was then a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a secretary of the Central Secretariat.


[3] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, then alternate secretary of the Central Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.