(March 13, 1961)**

Comrades Liu, Zhou, Chen, Deng, Peng [1], and all comrades attending the Beijing Conference [2]:

Today I am sending Comrade Tao Zhu [3] to your place to make a report to you; and to put forward some suggestions to the comrades attending the North Three Regions Conference for reference. The problem of equalitarianism between production teams within the production brigade, and the problem of equalitarianism between individuals within the production team (formerly the small team), are two extremely serious major problems. I hope they will be discussed at the Beijing Conference, so that after everyone returns, they themselves, and guide the first secretaries at all levels, to earnestly and truly investigate them once. Without personally conducting investigations, one cannot understand them, cannot solve these two major problems (and the same applies to other major problems), and cannot truly and fully mobilize the masses' enthusiasm. I also hope that Comrades Xiaoping and Peng Zhen will, after the conference, take a little time (for example, about ten days) to go to places like Miyun, Shunyi, Huairou, and conduct investigations and research separately (not with all levels assembled together) with commune members, the small team level, the brigade level, the commune level, and the county level, so as to have a clear picture in their own minds and better guide the work. It seems to me that regarding the two above-mentioned problems of equalitarianism, you are still not very clear about them, is that not so? Am I wrong? The first secretaries of provinces, prefectures, counties, and communes are mostly the same, in short, not very clear, with only a smattering of knowledge. The reason is being busy with routine affairs, not conducting personal typical investigations, being satisfied with listening to reports from the prefecture and county levels at meetings, being satisfied with reading written reports from the prefectures and counties, or being satisfied with cursory investigations. These shortcomings are generally also committed by the central comrades. I hope comrades will correct them from now on. My own shortcomings, of course, must be resolutely corrected. Why are you so busy? Three days for the meeting is too few, at least five to seven days will do. Why is it that the Southern Three Regions [4] are not so busy and can hold a seven-day meeting, while the Northern Three Regions are so busy? Therefore, I am sending Comrade Tao Zhu to your place for a trip. He goes today and returns tomorrow. I am also sending Comrade Liao Luyan [5] to return to Beijing in a few days to conduct investigation work in the North. That article of mine, "Concerning Investigation Work" [6], I also ask comrades to study it. The issue raised there is conducting systematic investigations by personally taking charge, not investigations in the manner of overlords. Therefore, I suggest comrades study it. Objections can be raised, but do not ignore it.

Mao Zedong
8:00 AM, March 13, 1961, Guangzhou
Published based on a document of the CPC Central Committee. (With manuscript)

**Notes**
[1] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Chen refers to Chen Yun, then Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Peng refers to Peng Zhen, then member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Secretariat.
[2] Refers to the meeting of responsible persons from the three regional areas of North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China, and provincial and municipal committees convened by Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and others in Beijing, called the North Three Regions Conference.
[3] Tao Zhu, then First Secretary of the Central-South Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and First Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee.
[4] Refers to the three regions of Central-South, Southwest, and East China. Mao Zedong was then convening a meeting of responsible persons from the regional areas and provincial and municipal committees of these three regions in Guangzhou, called the South Three Regions Conference.
[5] Liao Luyan, then Deputy Director of the Rural Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Agriculture.
[6] See pp. [— 4] of this volume, "Explanatory Notes and Comments on the Article 'Investigation Work'."

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**Comments on a Record of a Symposium Concerning Several Issues of Rural People's Communes