Instructions and Annotations on Strengthening Mutual Learning and Overcoming Complacency and Arrogance [I]
(December 13 and 30, 1963)
To all Central Bureaus, Party Committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, the Military Commission, Party Committees of central people’s organizations, and Party Committees and Leading Groups of various ministries:
We hereby transmit a report dated November 6, 1963, written by Comrades Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee regarding their visit to Guangdong Province to observe agricultural production,[I] along with an accompanying directive from the Hunan Provincial Party Committee.
[1]
This first document is an instruction drafted by Mao Zedong for the CPC Central Committee. It was circulated within the Party as Central Document No. Zhongfa (63) 862 and publicly published in the People’s Daily on September 9, 1977. The second document consists of annotations made by Mao Zedong on December 13, 1963, when forwarding the report by Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng, secretaries of the Secretariat of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, concerning their visit to Guangdong’s agricultural production, together with the Hunan Provincial Party Committee’s corresponding directive. The third and fourth documents are annotations penned by Mao Zedong on the title page and a typed copy of a Central Committee directive issued later that same month—on December 30—aimed at strengthening mutual learning and overcoming complacency and arrogance.
[2]
In their report to the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng stated that a group of thirty-two individuals, including several members of the provincial party leadership and principal officials from various cities and prefectures, visited Guangdong Province from October 29 to November 5 to examine its agricultural practices. What left the deepest impression on them was that Guangdong had entered a new peak in agricultural development, with large-scale, high-yield harvests being recorded everywhere, crowds gathering to learn from these successes, and scenes of new rural construction visible throughout. Through this visit, everyone felt their horizons broadened, their thinking liberated, their minds opened up, their confidence strengthened, and their enthusiasm boosted; at the same time, they gained many valuable lessons. The current challenge lies in combining Guangdong’s experience with Hunan’s specific circumstances and applying and promoting it appropriately based on local conditions.

Instructions and Annotations on Strengthening Mutual Learning and Overcoming Complacency and Arrogance
An instruction drafted on December 7, 1963, has been sent to you for study. The Central Committee believes that this attitude and approach of humbly learning from the outstanding experiences of other provinces, cities, and regions is highly commendable and constitutes one of the important methods for advancing our country’s economy, politics, ideology, culture, military affairs, and Party work. Complacency and arrogance—failing to apply the Marxist dialectical method of analyzing matters in terms of both strengths and weaknesses when considering the work under one’s jurisdiction, focusing solely on achievements while ignoring shortcomings and mistakes; preferring praise to criticism—and showing little interest in organizing capable senior and intermediate cadres to conduct thorough, humble investigations into the work of other provinces, cities, regions, or units, so as to integrate those insights with one’s own local situation for improvement—are all detrimental. Remaining confined to one’s own narrow sphere without opening one’s eyes to the broader world beyond leads to self-importance and ignorance of new possibilities. This is akin to the “Yelang complex.” Regarding foreigners, people from other regions, and personnel dispatched from the central authorities,
The CPC Hunan Provincial Committee forwarded Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng’s report to county, city, and municipal Party committees across Hunan, as well as to various departments and bureaus within the provincial committee, accompanied by instructions stating that recently, Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng led leading officials from different cities and prefectures on a visit to several agricultural areas in Guangdong Province. They summarized their experiences and observations into this brief report. The provincial committee deems the report highly significant and mandates its distribution down to commune-level and factory-level Party committees. All levels of Party officials, especially those responsible for rural affairs, must carefully review it, and comrades working in industry and other sectors should also take note. This winter, the report will further be read aloud to brigade and production team cadres, as well as to poor and lower-middle peasants. Moreover, those industrial workers who recently traveled to Shanghai to study best practices should likewise prepare similar reports for widespread dissemination. The purpose of doing so is to encourage everyone to reflect on their own work, engage in open discussions, and effectively apply the experiences gained from advanced regions and units to their respective tasks. Learning from outside experiences should be combined with summarizing one’s own practical lessons. It is crucial to recognize that every county and region contains some exemplary units. By systematically documenting the experiences of these model entities, integrating local knowledge with external insights, and tailoring solutions to the specific realities of each area, we can more effectively improve our work, boost production, further elevate advanced units, and gradually help ordinary and lagging units catch up with the leaders. In this process, pilot projects initiated directly by leadership play a particularly vital role. Only by setting concrete examples and establishing clear benchmarks can we accelerate comprehensive learning, ignite a nationwide upsurge in emulating excellence, and achieve more remarkable results.

Only allowing others to see the good while concealing the bad, only discussing achievements but never addressing flaws or errors—when such topics are broached, it is done superficially and perfunctorily. The Central Committee has repeatedly raised this issue, emphasizing that a Communist Party member must possess a Marxist dialectical mindset that recognizes the dual nature of things: both successes and failures, truths and falsehoods. All phenomena—economic, political, ideological, cultural, military, and Party-related processes—evolve continuously as dynamic processes. Each process unfolds through the interconnected yet contradictory interplay of opposing forces. This should be common sense among Marxists. However, many comrades at both the central and local levels rarely apply this perspective in their thinking and work. Their minds remain trapped in metaphysical modes of thought from which they cannot break free. Metaphysics denies the principle of unity of opposites, the struggle between opposing elements, and the truth that under certain conditions, contradictions can transform into their opposites. This explains why some comrades remain closed off, arrogant, focused solely on achievements, eager to hear praise but resistant to criticism. They are unwilling to critically examine themselves using the dialectical method and even more afraid of being criticized by others. Although the Central Committee comprises dozens of departments, few pay attention to those with better performance and work styles—for example, the Ministry of Petroleum—instead choosing to ignore them and never visiting to learn from their success. Similarly, within each department, there are often numerous factories, enterprises, institutions, and research centers where staff perform exceptionally well, yet these achievements go unnoticed, preventing wider adoption of best practices. Here, the Central Committee refers to a subset of comrades exhibiting metaphysical thinking, not the entire membership. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that many dedicated and capable individuals are suppressed by high-ranking officials who indulge in privilege, arrogance, complacency, and adherence to bourgeois metaphysical thinking—essentially bureaucratic tendencies. These outdated mindsets must now be reformed. Those who refuse to engage in honest, self-critical analysis of their own work and locality, as well as those who dismiss the dialectical approach altogether, should receive admonishment and criticism from fellow comrades to rectify their behavior. Establishing a systematic practice of learning from the successful experiences, work styles, and methodologies of other departments, provinces, cities, regions, and units

as a formal institutionalized procedure is essential. This is a major issue that requires your careful consideration. Further discussions will be held at future Central Committee meetings and plenary sessions. In the past, the Hunan Provincial Party Committee often issued directives based on subjective assumptions without conducting proper investigations. A top-down approach prevailed, resulting in limited feedback from the grassroots level and ultimately severing ties with the masses, which led to significant difficulties. Starting in 1961, however, they began to make changes, and conditions gradually improved. Even so, they still considered themselves far behind Guangdong and Shanghai, prompting them to dispatch large delegations of provincial, regional, and county-level cadres, along with provincial and municipal officials, forming two separate inspection teams to travel to Guangdong and Shanghai for study. Please consider whether a similar approach could be adopted in your own regions. The Central Committee believes that not only is it feasible but also highly advisable. If you hold differing views, please feel free to express them.
The Central Committee
December 13, 1963
Comrades Liu, Deng, Zhu, Peng, Ruiqing, Kangsheng, Boda, Yibo, Xian’nen, Fuzhi, ZhenlinIII
[I]
Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at the time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Zhu refers to Zhu De.
Peng refers to Peng Zhen, who was then a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a secretary of the Secretariat. Ruiqing denotes Luo Ruiqing, who concurrently held the positions of secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and vice premier of the State Council. Kangsheng was a candidate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a secretary of the Secretariat. Bo Da was Chen Boda, a candidate member of the Political Bureau and director of the Central Research Office. Yi Bo was Bo Yibo, a candidate member of the Political Bureau and vice premier of the State Council. Xian’nen was Li Xiannian, a member of the Political Bureau, secretary of the Secretariat, and vice premier of the State Council. Fu Zhi was Xie Fuzhi, who served as Minister of Public Security. Zhen Lin was Tan Zhenlin, a member of the Political Bureau, secretary of the Secretariat, and vice premier of the State Council.

This Hunan document Pl appears suitable for circulation and would be highly beneficial. Please review and handle it accordingly, or convene a meeting to discuss it.
Please also forward it to Comrades Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping for their review.
Four
Mao Zedong
December 12
Comrades Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping:
A few words have been revised in this document. After your review, it may be printed together with the Hunan document. The date remains December 13.
Mao Zedong
December 30
[I]
Refers to the report by Li Ruishan and Hua Guofeng, along with the Hunan Provincial Party Committee’s directive.