To all Central Bureaus, and to the Party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions: We are forwarding one copy of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee’s report dated November 25, 1960 [2], which is highly instructive and worthy of your careful study, as well as that of comrades at the prefectural and county levels, perhaps even two thorough readings.
The Gansu Provincial Party Committee has engaged in self-criticism, and it appears to be quite practical and earnest.
It seems that our comrades in Gansu have at last developed a genuine resolve to correct their mistakes.
Comrade Mao Zedong read this report twice and stated that he wished to read it once more, so as to draw lessons and experience from it.
He himself said that he shares a common destiny and breathes the same air as all comrades who are willing to rectify their errors.
He added that he too had made mistakes and was determined to correct them.
For example, one such error was the inclusion in the Beidaihe Resolution of a timetable for the transition to public ownership within the communes, which was conceived far too rapidly.
There is a passage in that document that he personally wrote [3]. In principle, this passage is correct; it sets out 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 an overly hasty timetable for this process.
The passage begins by stating: “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; in others it may be slower, requiring five or six years, or even longer.”
This notion was unrealistic. It has now been corrected: henceforth, for at least (note the word “at least”) seven years, the existing system of ownership in the communes shall remain unchanged. Even when change does eventually come, the property will belong to the production teams rather than to the communes.
It has also been stipulated that, for at least twenty years from now, the socialist system—“each according to his ability, to each according to his work”—shall remain firmly in place. Whether it can be altered after twenty years will depend on the circumstances then prevailing.
Hence the phrase “at least twenty years” without change.
Similarly, the provision concerning the three-tier system of ownership in the people’s communes, based on the production teams, is likewise to remain unchanged for at least seven years.
Whether it can be modified after 1967 will depend on the situation at that time; it may be extended by another seven years, meaning that any change would not occur until fourteen years later.
In short, under no circumstances shall the property of the production teams ever pass into the possession or use of higher-level organizations. The practice of “equalization and arbitrary redistribution” must be strictly prohibited.
Public accumulation must not be excessive, nor should there be an overabundance of public works projects.
Rather than imposing a rigid timetable for transforming the rural landscape over a fixed number of years, we should proceed step by step, adapting our approach to local conditions.
This report by the Gansu Provincial Party Committee makes no mention of living arrangements, nor does it include an assessment and analysis of counties, communes, and production teams classified into categories I, II, and III. These omissions are significant shortcomings, as both issues are of great importance; all concerned should take note.
Printed by the Central Committee on November 28, 1960, based on Comrade Mao Zedong’s manuscript.
Notes [1] “Equalization and arbitrary redistribution,” see note [1] on page 33 of this volume.
[2] Refers to the Fourth Report of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee, issued to the Central Committee, the Northwest Bureau, and to the party committees of various prefectures, cities, and counties, as well as to all county committees, implementing the Central Committee’s Urgent Directive on Current Policies Regarding Rural People’s Communes.
The report 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 lies in shortcomings and errors in the leadership work of the provincial party committee.
There are three main areas of problem: First, with regard to the implementation of central policies, there has been insufficient study, inadequate understanding, and weak enforcement, leading even to certain deviations. For example, there was undue haste in transitioning from basic team ownership to basic commune ownership; insufficient attention was paid to small-team partial ownership and to the work of the small teams themselves; insufficient emphasis was placed on developing the economic base of the production teams; and the policy on the distribution of surplus was formulated improperly, among other matters.
Second, in guiding the development of production in the people’s communes and in organizing rural work, there was a failure to integrate task assignment with policy implementation. The tasks set were often too ambitious and the deadlines too pressing, with insufficient consideration given to actual conditions and possibilities, resulting in instances of policy violations.
Third, concerning leadership style, there was a tendency toward overestimating agricultural yields and setting excessively high, impatient targets, together with inappropriate propaganda that helped fuel the emergence of the “Five Winds.”
[3] Refers to a passage added by Mao Zedong in August 1958 while reviewing the draft of the “Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Establishment of People’s Communes in the Countryside”: “After the people’s communes have been established, we should not rush to convert collective ownership into全民ownership. For the present, it is best to continue using the collective ownership system, as this will help avoid unnecessary complications during the process of changing the form of ownership.
In fact, the collective ownership system already contains certain elements of全民ownership. As the commune continues to develop, these elements will gradually increase and eventually replace collective ownership altogether.
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; in others it may be slower, requiring five or six years, or even longer.
Once全民ownership is achieved, the nature of the commune will still be socialist: each will contribute according to his ability, and remuneration will be distributed according to work done.
Then, after many years have passed, when social products are vastly abundant, when the communist consciousness and moral standards of the entire population have risen dramatically, when universal education has been widely普及and further improved, and when the class distinctions inherited from the old society—the differences between workers and peasants, between urban and rural areas, and between mental and physical labor—have gradually disappeared, along with the remnants of bourgeois legal rights that reflect these disparities, leaving only functions necessary for defending against external aggression and rendering internal governance obsolete, it will be the moment when our society enters an era of communism, where everyone contributes according to his ability and takes what he needs.”