(November 29, 1960)
Comrade Enlai:
Please take a look at pages four, five, and six. There is considerable anxiety among capitalists regarding their relocation to the countryside; it would seem preferable to assign them to urban enterprises instead. Please make your own decision on this matter. The views of Tong Shaosheng appear worth considering.
Mao Zedong
5:00 a.m., November 29th
[1]
This note was written on an internal publication compiled and printed by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee on November 25, 1960. Pages four, five, and six of that issue contained an article titled “Beijing’s Bourgeois Elements Generally Feel Anxious and Panicked over Streamlining and Relocation to Rural Areas for Settlement.” The article stated that the prospect of being sent to the countryside for resettlement had caused agitation not only among the lower and middle strata but also among the upper echelons of Beijing’s bourgeois class. Some members of the upper class remarked: “The situation is now extremely tense. I sincerely follow the Communist Party, yet I find things increasingly difficult.” A leader of the Dongcheng District Federation of Industry and Commerce said, “I simply cannot overcome these three hurdles: first, the test of manual labor; second, the challenge posed by individualism; and third, the adjustment to a new way of life.” Among the lower and middle ranks, where the likelihood of relocation was greater, some felt their future was bleak, others were highly anxious and disoriented, and there were even instances of people cursing the Communist Party. Recently, there has been an increase in cases of individuals feigning illness to obtain leave, collecting fixed interest payments, eating communal meals, and engaging in panic buying of goods. Page six of the same issue carried several specific proposals by Tong Shaosheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, concerning the relocation of private-sector personnel. These suggestions included several methods: first, following the current practice for cadre relocation, whereby such individuals would be placed under the management of state organs, work in communes, receive relatively high salaries—which would not be paid directly by the commune—and thus avoid any objections from the commune itself; in this arrangement, they would continue to receive their original wages and could feel secure. Second, relocating them to industrial or mining enterprises, which would essentially amount to transferring them from one industrial zone to another, presenting no particular difficulties. Third, adopting the Chongqing approach of concentrating elderly individuals in agricultural farms, with cadres or younger workers taking turns to go there. Fourth, establishing vegetable production bases within their original systems or units, while continuing to draw their salaries from their original workplaces.

There is a report from non-Party figures in Henan Province, number Ill, which might be worth reviewing.
[1]
This refers to the article titled “Reactions of Some Non-Party Figures in Henan to the Central Committee’s Urgent Instruction Letter,” published in this internal journal. The article notes that after certain non-Party representatives in Henan read the CPC Central Committee’s “Urgent Instruction Letter on Current Policy Issues Concerning Rural People’s Communes,” the local CPPCC organized a symposium for them. During the meeting, most participants expressed support for the central government’s policies, with some viewing them as a targeted remedy for existing rural problems. Many believed that if these policies were fully implemented, significant changes would occur in the countryside and agricultural issues could be resolved. They all emphasized that being briefed on Party documents and gaining a comprehensive understanding of rural affairs demonstrated the Party’s trust in them—treating them “just like its own cadres”—which deeply moved them. In the course of their study, some also pointed out that the central leadership was using the correction of past deviations to stimulate productive enthusiasm, and that this directive would play a crucial role in stabilizing morale. Previously, they had often “felt angry but dared not speak out.” Others commented that “local cadres have behaved quite improperly” and that “something had to be done about it.”
On December 3, 1960, Mao Zedong met with Ho Chi Minh, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Workers’ Party. In December 1960, Mao Zedong also met with Le Duan, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Workers’ Party.
Archival photo
In December 1960, Mao Zedong warmly shook hands with Nguyen Chi Thanh, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Workers’ Party.
Also in December 1960, Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh attended a performance hosted by China’s Ministry of Culture in honor of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese delegation.
Archival photo
In December 1960, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and the performers exchanged handshakes.