Commentary Issued on the Investigative Materials Submitted by Hu Qiaomu〔1〕 Concerning the Resolution of the Commune Canteen Problem, among Other Matters (April 15, 1961)

Comrade Zhang Pinghua〔2〕: One letter from Comrade Hu Qiaomu〔3〕 and four accompanying documents〔4〕 are hereby forwarded for your review. I believe these materials may be circulated to all comrades attending your three-level cadre conference for discussion. Please have them printed and dispatched today. Upon issuance, please send one copy each to Comrades Liu Shaoqi, Wang Renzhong, and Wang Yanchun〔〕, and reserve one copy for myself. Sincerely, Mao Zedong Morning of [month] [year] Printed from the manuscript.

Notes 〔〕Hu Qiaomu, then an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong’s secretary, was conducting investigative research in the rural areas of Hunan Province at the time. 〔2〕 Zhang Pinghua, who at that time served as First Secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee.

〔3〕 Refers to a letter dated April 14, 1961, in which Hu Qiaomu submitted to Mao Zedong an investigative report and other materials concerning the resolution of the commune canteen problem.

In the letter, Hu Qiaomu stated that the Shaoshan Brigade was preparing to convene a representative assembly the day after tomorrow to discuss issues related to canteens, forests, housing, and contracted production quotas.

Yesterday, we took time to visit Xiangxiang County and found that in those brigades where thorough rectification campaigns had been carried out, the masses dared to speak openly, and the atmosphere was relatively good. By contrast, in first- and second-class brigades, where no such campaigns had taken place, problems were actually more numerous.

In this county, grain was stored and processed at the brigade level rather than the production team level, which was highly detrimental to both the allocation of food rations to commune members and the development of pig farming.

After we raised this issue, officials at both the prefectural and county levels expressed agreement to make immediate changes.

Last year’s year-end settlement resulted in very small disbursements of wages and reimbursements in kind and cash owed to commune members; the county committee has decided to address this matter shortly.

As for the unrectified brigades, the county committee plans to initiate rectification campaigns following the rice-transplanting season.

Xiangxiang had previously been classified as a first-class county, but based on what we observed and heard, its problems were no less serious than those in Xiangtan. Nevertheless, once the underlying issues are brought to light and the masses are mobilized to carry out earnest rectification, the situation can be reversed relatively quickly.

〔4〕 Refers to the four documents Hu Qiaomu submitted to Mao Zedong: 1. A report on resolving the canteen problem in the Shaoshan Commune.

The report notes that during discussions among cadres and commune members regarding the Sixty Articles on Agricultural Work, the most prominent issue encountered was that of the public canteen. According to feedback from the masses, most canteens had in fact become obstacles to production and sources of tension in Party-mass relations.

This was primarily due to their close association with declining work-point values, reduced incomes, and egalitarian distribution practices, as well as the many inconveniences they caused in daily life.

Under these circumstances, it was widely recognized that most canteens should be dissolved, and that such dissolution would not only entail no loss but would also benefit the overall work.

Together with Mao Jisheng, Party Secretary of the Shaoshan Commune, we examined a canteen in the Wangchong Production Team of the Shaoshan Brigade that was determined to be disbanded.

After five evenings of deliberation, all the issues arising from the canteen’s dissolution—such as housing, vegetable plots, firewood mountains, pig raising, and assistance for impoverished households—were successfully resolved.

This experience demonstrated that canteens requested for dissolution by the masses should indeed be closed, and the sooner the better. We believe that the Shaoshan Commune’s experience in resolving the Wangchong Production Team’s canteen issue is commendable and can be widely disseminated.

2. A briefing on the Shaoshan Commune’s discussions of the “Draft Regulations on the Work of Rural People’s Communes” (the Sixty Articles).

The briefing indicates that since the central investigation team arrived in the commune, meetings have been held at all levels—cadre meetings, meetings of Party members and active elements, and general commune member assemblies—to engage in vigorous discussions of the Sixty Articles.

The main issues under debate were: (1) Article 20, concerning the “three guarantees and one reward” system: the production quota must be firmly established, with some leeway allowed. Commune members generally supported this provision but held differing views on the method of rewarding surplus output in kind.

Some advocated a 40/60 split, with 60 percent going to the production team and 40 percent to the brigade and the state, with the state receiving less than the brigade.

The majority of commune members, however, favored fixing the output at this year’s established targets plus any additional procurement tasks; any further increases in production would not result in additional procurement obligations.

(2) Articles 26 and 27, dealing with the ownership and autonomy of production teams. All participants agreed that these provisions were conducive to stimulating production.

(3) Article 33: There was unanimous agreement that remuneration according to work performed was the best way to motivate commune members.

Regarding the ratio of subsistence allowances to wages, the vast majority of commune members favored a 30/70 split, with many production teams proposing that the brigade adopt a 30/70 arrangement while the production teams themselves implement full pay-for-work.

(4) Article 34, concerning public canteens. Most people were unwilling to maintain them.

We believe that for canteens that the masses genuinely do not wish to keep operating, active assistance should be provided to facilitate their dissolution and ensure comprehensive arrangements are made to support the daily lives of commune members.

3. A briefing on the situation following the dissolution of the canteen in the Yangjia Production Team of the Shaoxi Brigade.

The briefing states that after the Sixty Articles were introduced to cadres and the masses, the Yangjia Production Team convened a management committee that unanimously agreed to immediately dissolve the canteen.

Subsequently, a commune member assembly was held, and following discussion, the team officially began cooking separately starting the next day.

According to reports from cadres and some commune members, the dissolution of the canteen led to the following outcomes: first, significant savings in welfare-related labor; second, increased work enthusiasm; third, greater fertilizer application; fourth, reduced firewood consumption; fifth, more flexible and prudent use of food rations by commune members, resulting in substantial savings; and sixth, a marked decrease in mutual suspicion and disputes over food and vegetables.

From this perspective, it is clear that canteens truly desired for dissolution by the masses are best closed as soon as possible.

4. Investigative materials from Mao Huachu’s visit to the Dongmaotang Production Team.

The materials indicate that on April 1, he returned to his hometown of Dongmaotang, where he had lived more than twenty years earlier, for a visit.

Local residents generally complained that the canteen was poorly managed, housing was overcrowded and dilapidated, cooking stoves had disappeared, and living conditions had deteriorated compared with previous years, while forest resources had suffered severe damage.

During the visit, participants discussed several key issues: first, the canteen problem. They suggested continuing to adhere to the current practice of setting annual per-household quotas, distributing food monthly, using communal kitchens for cooking, and growing vegetables independently, with dissolution planned only after the rice-transplanting season.

Second, the pig-raising issue. Participants believed that as long as each person had seven to ten square meters of private land, received regular food rations, and had access to bran and broken rice, pig farming could be developed within this year and next.

Third, the management of forest resources. They felt that adopting the methods used during the high-stage cooperatives would effectively address this issue.

Specifically, forest rights would be owned by the collective and leased to individuals for cultivation and management.

It appears that this approach merits careful study and potential adoption.

Furthermore, a similar model could be explored for trees, involving contracting out management and cultivation with rewards based on the results achieved.

〔〕Wang Renzhong, then Second Secretary of the CPC Central South Bureau and First Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee. Wang Yanchun, then Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee Secretariat. At that time, they were following Mao Zedong’s instructions to assist in resolving certain problems in Hunan’s rural areas.