Commentary on the Issuance of the Minutes of the Symposium on Consolidating the Collective Economy of Production Teams [1] [2] (July 22, 1962) To be circulated to all comrades attending the Central Work Conference [3]. The analysis contained in this document is Marxist in character, and the recommendations put forward following that analysis are likewise Marxist. Whether there remains any room for further discussion is for each comrade to consider. It may also be transmitted to the provincial and prefectural levels for deliberation. Mao Zedong July 22 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Refers to the minutes of a symposium convened on June 7, 1962, in Longsheng County, Guilin Prefecture, Guangxi, concerning the consolidation of the collective economy of production teams, chaired by Tao Zhu, First Secretary of the Central South Bureau of the CPC, and Wang Renzhong, Second Secretary of the same bureau. These minutes originally appeared in No. 5 of “Central South Bulletin” in 1962 and are divided into four sections: I. An assessment of the current situation in Longsheng County. Since the implementation of the Sixty Articles on Agriculture, the majority of people have been actively seeking ways to improve the management of the collective economy in order to rapidly increase production and enhance their living standards. This constitutes the mainstream trend in the county today. According to the analysis, approximately 60–70 percent of the production teams throughout the county are essentially of a socialist collective economic nature; 20–30 percent are largely practicing individual farming while still retaining certain elements of collectivism; and about 10 percent are entirely engaged in individual farming. It was previously estimated that around £± 4

60 percent, or even 70 percent, of the county’s production teams had reverted to individual farming, but in reality the figure is not so high. II. An analysis of the various forms and natures of production management currently existing in Longsheng County. There are roughly five main forms of production management: (1) Collective ownership of the means of production, unified allocation of labor and draft animals, centralized planning of production, uniform application of fertilizers, joint harvesting of crops, and unified distribution of income. In terms of actual production work, major agricultural tasks are carried out collectively, while routine chores are assigned to specific individuals. This strict system of responsibility-based management has the advantages of clear accountability and relative simplicity, and should be carefully summarized, improved, and promoted. (2) Collective ownership of the means of production, with centralized planning and distribution, short-term production arrangements, and a system of fixed quotas combined with piecework contracts. This long-standing practice has failed to satisfy the masses and must be reformed. (3) Collective ownership of the means of production, with centralized planning and distribution; fields are either allocated according to labor input or per capita, with only a few tasks assigned collectively, while most are permanently assigned to individual workers. From a substantive perspective, production teams adopting this form can be divided into two categories: one that remains essentially collective, and another that has likely already devolved into a disguised form of individual farming. (4) Isolated households and small production groups residing deep in the mountains, which have been contracted to fulfill state delivery targets with approval. This is a special arrangement under particular circumstances and still constitutes an integral part of the collective economy, possessing a socialist character. (5) Explicit individual farming. Some refer to it as “contracting land to households,” while others call it “allocating fields to households.” Among these, a portion of the draft animals remains collectively owned, and certain provisions are made to support the Five Guarantees households and provide assistance to families in need, thus preserving at least a minimal element of collectivism. The above five forms represent a rather rough classification. As for each individual production team, whether it falls more squarely within the collective sphere or has shifted toward individual operation—whether it is fundamentally socialist or capitalist, or perhaps exhibits characteristics of both—with one aspect predominating over the other—the precise nature of its economic structure must be determined through careful, case-by-case analysis based on its specific circumstances. III. Defining the boundary between the collective economy and individual farming. The four essential features of the collective economy are: first, collective ownership of the principal means of production; second, centralized planning of production; third, collective labor; and fourth, unified distribution of production income. However, many people remain unclear, or very unclear, as to what constitutes “collective labor.” Essentially, collective labor means that labor power is centrally coordinated by the production team, rather than requiring everyone to gather together to perform every single task. Therefore, one cannot simply judge whether production is collective based solely on the extent to which agricultural operations are conducted jointly. IV. The current policy for consolidating the collective economy. Leading the peasantry along the socialist path is a protracted process, with voluntariness and demonstration serving as the fundamental principles. The primary focus should be on successfully running a number of exemplary production teams, rather than resorting to administrative orders to forcibly “correct” or “reorient” those practicing individual farming. First, all emerging forms of production management must be accurately classified according to the aforementioned four principles and treated with due caution. Second, efforts should be made on all fronts to strengthen the collective economy of production teams. Key tasks include clarifying and stabilizing property rights, continuing to overcome the “communist wind”; appropriately adjusting procurement targets; improving and refining mechanisms for barter and bonus sales of industrial goods in exchange for agricultural and sideline products; enhancing the management of production teams; and developing diversified operations. [2] Mao Zedong’s commentary, together with the minutes of this symposium, was issued as Document No. 62-409 of the CPC Central Committee on July 22, 1962, and distributed to provincial and prefectural levels. [3] Refers to the comrades who were about to attend the CPC Central Work Conference in Beidaihe. This conference was held from July 25 to August 24, 1962. £± 6