1. In some regions where the “Five Whips” campaign had been particularly severe, this approach did indeed play a positive role in motivating commune members to work harder; this is an objective fact.


2. However, this practice has already given rise to several difficult-to-resolve contradictions and disputes.


3. This responsibility system rests on two prerequisites: first, the “five unifications,” and second, each household assuming full responsibility for its assigned yield. These two conditions are bound to create irreconcilable conflicts; if allowed to continue, they will ultimately lead to a decline in overall social productivity.


1. Collective commerce should be accelerated, and transactions could entirely adopt barter, thereby countering and reducing disruptions caused by various speculators.
The key to boosting the enthusiasm of small production teams lies here. At present, unified distribution at the brigade level serves as a stronghold safeguarding egalitarianism among teams. During our visit to Gansu and Guizhou, we learned that the Chairman had long ago addressed this issue, stating that replacing the “three guarantees and one reward” system with a household responsibility system based on fixed quotas would be a major step toward resolving the contradiction between production being organized at the team level while distribution occurred at the brigade level, thereby genuinely stimulating team-level initiative. I believe this assessment is entirely correct. (6) Management practices must become more refined, and the principle of “more work, more pay” must be fully implemented. (7) A practice that has played a positive role but also carries risks. In Anhui, we observed a prominent problem: many production teams had adopted a field management responsibility system under five unified arrangements—planning, distribution, major farming tasks, disaster relief, and water usage/management. The actual content of this system involved grading labor power, assigning fields to individual households for long-term management, setting fixed yield targets, rewarding any output exceeding the target in full, penalizing reductions below the target, and providing relief in cases of natural disasters. Many villagers commonly referred to it as either “dividing fields among households” or “assigning production quotas to households.” We were told that a few areas in other provinces had also spontaneously implemented similar measures. Our views on this matter are as follows:



4. If localities still wish to proceed with this approach, it may be tried on a trial basis, provided that areas where it is not supported are permitted to refrain from adopting it. Moreover, such a policy should not be presented as absolute, so as to avoid creating a passive resistance. Should a transition back be necessary, it must be carried out in a well-prepared and planned manner, without causing chaos or further losses to production. (8) The crucial link in fully restoring productive forces lies in how effectively we can secure sufficient draft animals to meet production needs. (9) Markets, small and medium-sized towns, and workers’ living standards. Rural markets have all reopened and are quite lively, yet somewhat chaotic in certain areas. How can we achieve a balance between effective regulation and vibrant activity without descending into disorder? In response, we believe:



2. Major thieves who steal state property or commit crimes motivated by greed must be prosecuted according to law. Farmers have substantial demands for small-scale production and daily-use materials, with cloth being the most pressing need. The supply-demand relationship between urban and rural areas has tightened considerably, leading to a significant deterioration in workers’ living standards. Everyone should be mobilized to take action and resolve these issues through their own efforts. (10) Cadres must be educated to regard unity as vital. In some places, divisions still exist among cadres, primarily because certain comrades who were wronged have yet to be rehabilitated and remain disheartened; additionally, some capable and upright officials whose mistakes have been criticized have failed to pass self-criticism sessions, feeling that their efforts go unrecognized. This issue requires continued, thorough attention in certain localities.



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