(March 16, 1961)**

An important document [1], print and distribute to all comrades [2] for discussion.

Mao Zedong
1:00 AM, March 16
Published based on the manuscript.

**Notes**
[1] Refers to a symposium record submitted on March 15, 1961, by Chen Boda, Director of the Political Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong's secretary. The record states: On March 14 and 15, the Guangdong Provincial Committee and the investigation team from Beijing exchanged views with Liang Jinan, General Party Branch Secretary of Mengkeng Brigade, Lidong Commune, Xinxing County, and Su Pinfang, Commune Propaganda and Education Committeeman, on several important issues concerning the people's communes. I. Issue of commune and team scale. Mengkeng Brigade was originally two advanced cooperatives, one with high income and one with low income. After communization, they were merged into one basic accounting unit, leveling them out, and the one with originally high income had strong objections. Recently, they divided into two brigades according to the scale of the original advanced cooperatives, resolving the contradiction between poor villages and rich villages. Both sides are now active in production and manure accumulation, and they also cherish their draft cattle and farm tools. During the discussion, regarding the wealth disparity between various small teams within other brigades, they believed the following solutions could be adopted: (1) The production quota target for rich villages could be set lower, enabling them to receive more above-quota rewards; (2) Help poor villages engage more in sideline occupations to increase income; (3) When medium-level villages develop production, they can also increase income. They believed that making the basic accounting unit too small is also not good, the reasons being weak leadership capacity, small manpower and limited strength, limited accumulation, difficulty in expanding reproduction, difficulty in developing a diversified economy, and lack of significant development prospects. II. Distribution issue. In the past, the 30/70 split was implemented, meaning in fact that those who did not labor could also get food. Therefore, they considered breaking this framework and fully implementing distribution according to labor, using public welfare funds and public welfare grain to subsidize households in difficulty. This would mobilize the labor enthusiasm of all commune members. III. Mess hall issue. They advocated distributing grain to households and running mess halls during busy farming seasons. This way, the production team's vegetable plots could potentially provide more vegetables to the market, and commune members could also raise pigs and accumulate manure. IV. Issue of fixed grain requisition and purchase. The grain requisition and purchase quotas should be fixed, so that peasants have a clear idea, remaining unchanged for at least three years, and even better if they can remain unchanged for five years. After fixing requisition and purchase quotas, a certain proportion of the production team's above-quota output can be set aside as reserve grain. It is necessary to gradually ensure that every team, every commune, and every county has reserve grain, and also gradually ensure that every household has grain reserves.
[2] Refers to the comrades then attending the CPC Central Committee Work Conference in Guangzhou.