Commentary by the Central Committee on Gansu Provincial Party Committee’s Fourth Report on Implementing the Central Committee’s Urgent Instruction Letter [1] (November 28, 1960)  To all Central Bureaus, and to the Party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions:  We are transmitting herewith one copy of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee’s report dated [month and day], which is highly instructive and deserves careful study—indeed, thorough examination—one or two times—by yourselves and by comrades at the prefectural and county levels. The Gansu Provincial Party Committee has engaged in self-criticism, and it appears to have been both candid and earnest. It seems that our comrades in Gansu have at last developed a genuine resolve to correct their mistakes.  Comrade Mao Zedong has read this report twice and stated that he wishes to read it once more, so as to draw lessons and experience from it. He remarked that he shares a common destiny and breathes the same air as all comrades who are willing to rectify their errors. He pointed out that he himself has also made mistakes and is determined to correct them.  For example, one such error was the inclusion in the Beidaihe Resolution [3] of an overly rapid timetable for the transition to commune ownership. There is a passage in that document which he himself drafted [4]; in principle, this passage is sound, setting forth the principles and conditions for the transition from socialism to communism in accordance with Marxist–Leninist doctrine. However, the opening sentences of that passage specified too short a time frame for this process. They read as follows:

“The transition from collective ownership to全民ownership is a gradual process; in some areas it may proceed relatively quickly, perhaps within three or four years, while in others it will be slower, requiring five or six years, or even longer.” This conception was unrealistic. It has now been corrected: henceforth, for at least (note well, at least) seven years, the existing system of ownership within the communes shall remain unchanged. Even when change does come, it will be from the production teams to the communes, not from the communes back to the teams. Furthermore, it is stipulated that the socialist system—“each according to his ability, each according to his work”—shall remain firmly in place for at least twenty years; whether it can be altered after that will depend on the circumstances then prevailing. Hence the phrase “at least” twenty years. Similarly, the provision maintaining the three-tiered system of ownership in people’s communes, based on the production teams, for at least seven years, stands firm. Whether it can be changed thereafter will likewise hinge on future conditions; it may be extended by another seven years, meaning that any alteration would not occur until fourteen years have passed. In any case, the property of the production teams shall always belong to or be used by those teams, and the practices of equalization and arbitrary redistribution are strictly prohibited. Public accumulation must be kept to a minimum, and public works should not be carried out on an excessive scale. The task is not to rigidly prescribe a fixed number of years within which the rural landscape is to be transformed, but rather to effect change step by step, according to actual conditions.  The Gansu Provincial Party Committee’s report makes no mention of living arrangements, nor does it include a survey and analysis of counties, communes, and production teams classified into categories I, II, and III. These are shortcomings of considerable importance, and all concerned should take note.  Signed by Zhou, Fu Chun, Tan Zhenlin, and Chen Boda [ ] after review, and transmitted by telegram. The original is to be returned to Mao. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.

Notes  [1] Refers to the Central Committee’s urgent instruction letter of November 3, 1960, concerning current policy issues in rural people’s communes. See note [1] on page 38 of this volume.  [2] In its fourth report addressed jointly to the Central Committee and the Northwest Bureau, and circulated to party committees at all levels—prefectural, municipal, and county—the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee states that our province convened a conference of cadres at three levels to conduct a thorough investigation into the root causes of the recurrent “communist wind.” It concludes that the source of these problems must be sought in the shortcomings and errors inherent in the provincial committee’s own leadership work. First, with regard to the implementation of central policies: the provincial committee has failed to study these policies adequately, to grasp their essence deeply enough, or to carry them out effectively, and has even introduced certain deviations: (1) an undue haste in shifting from basic team ownership to basic commune ownership; (2) neglect of the small-group, fractional ownership and the role of the small groups; (3) insufficient attention paid to developing the economic base of the production teams—the primary units of accounting—and inadequate efforts to promote this development; (4) an improperly formulated policy for the distribution of surplus, characterized by excessive retention by the commune and correspondingly meager allocations to individual members, as well as by generous provisions for communal consumption at the expense of wages. These deviations arose primarily from an inadequate understanding of the crucial importance of correctly handling questions of internal ownership within the communes, and from a lack of clear awareness of the interrelationships and distinctions among different stages of development. Prior to last year’s accounting campaign, there prevailed a mistaken belief that socialism was tantamount to communism, that distribution according to work was equivalent to distribution according to need, and that collective ownership was identical to全民ownership; it was thought that upon the very establishment of a people’s commune, complete commune ownership could be achieved. Following the accounting campaign, however, another misconception took hold: namely, that the period of basic team ownership would be brief, and that a swift transition to basic commune ownership would soon follow. Consequently, in concrete measures, there was a persistent tendency to accelerate the economic development of the communes and to emphasize communist elements to an excessive degree. Second, in guiding the communes’ production activities and the organization of rural life, the provincial committee mainly failed to integrate work planning with policy implementation. It set ambitious tasks with tight deadlines, focusing excessively on favorable conditions while underestimating difficulties, and assigning numerous duties to lower-level cadres without providing them with sufficient guidance. As a result, these cadres found themselves unable to fulfill their assignments within the bounds permitted by policy, leading inevitably to violations of policy. Third, regarding leadership style: a major problem in the provincial committee’s work has been overoptimistic yield estimates and unduly high, hasty demands, accompanied by inappropriate propaganda, commendations, and criticisms, which have fostered the emergence of the “Five Winds” and caused the leadership to lose initiative. The current winter rectification campaign within the communes must learn from the above-mentioned three lessons.  First, we must achieve a correct understanding of the Party’s policies and forge a unified perception thereof; second, we must make careful and well-considered work arrangements; and third, we must cultivate a sound work style. In sum, policy, tasks, and work style must be brought into harmonious alignment—this is an important lesson we have painfully acquired at great cost.  [3] Refers to the resolution adopted at the expanded meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held in Beidaihe from August 17 to 30, 1958, concerning the establishment of people’s communes in the countryside.  [ ] A passage added by Mao Zedong in August 1958 to the draft of the CPC Central Committee’s resolution on the establishment of people’s communes in the countryside, see Volume 7 of “Mao Zedong’s Collected Works Since the Founding of the People’s Republic,” page .  [ ] Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Fu Chun denotes Li Fuchun, who at the time served as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the Secretariat, and vice premier of the State Council. Tan Zhenlin was then a member of the Political Bureau, secretary of the Secretariat, and vice premier of the State Council. Chen Boda was at that time a candidate member of the Political Bureau, director of the Central Research Office, and deputy head of the Central Rural Work Department.