(4]
Refers to two letters written by Lu Ding to Mao Zedong on February 27, 1961, regarding his visit to the Xinhui County People’s Commune, and on March 1, concerning his visit to the Huaxian People’s Commune. The first letter states that on the 23rd, he held a discussion with Dang Xiangmin, the first secretary of the county party committee in Xinhui County, primarily to understand why rural work had always proceeded smoothly and agricultural production had consistently increased until the advent of the people’s communes, when certain problems arose. Dang Xiangmin pointed out three key differences since the establishment of the people’s communes: First, no pilot programs were conducted. In the past, whether it was land reform, mutual aid teams, lower-level cooperatives, or higher-level cooperatives, each step was preceded by careful, small-scale pilot projects. These pilots served as effective publicity among the masses; once they saw that new methods were more conducive to production than old ones, they naturally supported the innovations. However, the people’s communes were implemented nationwide without such preliminary trials, spreading rapidly and haphazardly. Second, previous measures formulated by the central authorities were very specific due to the prior pilot phases, whereas the policies for the people’s communes lacked specificity and detail, leading to repeated issues. Third, past management systems were rigorously defined, while those of the people’s communes were not. I find these observations quite pertinent. They remind me that whenever new measures are introduced in various localities today, it is essential to proceed cautiously—conducting pilot programs before wider implementation. The second letter mentions that during yesterday’s visit to Huaxian County, he learned that the county had experienced annual increases in production over the past three years and that three out of its six communes had been persistently experimenting with a system based on collective ownership. Such experiments have rarely been reported recently, yet Huaxian County remains highly confident. It appears that within the people’s commune movement, regions like Xinyang represent one extreme, while areas like Huaxian represent another—one extremely negative and the other extremely positive. Although Huaxian County is relatively small, its success could be of great significance, helping to dispel the pessimistic sentiments surrounding the people’s commune movement.
[5]
Lu Yan refers to Liao Luyan, who at the time served as Deputy Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Rural Work Department and Minister of Agriculture. Tian Jiaying was then Deputy Director of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Research Office and Mao Zedong’s secretary. Chen refers to Chen Boda, who held the positions of Alternate Member of the CPC Central Politburo, Director of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Research Office, Deputy Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Rural Work Department, and also served as Mao Zedong’s secretary. Hu refers to Hu Qiaomu, who at the time was an Alternate Secretary of the CPC Central Secretariat and Mao Zedong’s secretary.