Comments and Letter on the Issue
(December 13, 1963)

Comrades Ke Lao and Chen Zhuxian:

Please review this document [2]. This matter must be resolved. We must ensure that these people are helped to find employment. Even if they cannot be employed for the time being, a relief allowance should be provided to support them while they wait for opportunities to gradually [!] secure jobs.

[1] “Ke Lao” refers to Ke Qingshi, who at that time was a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, First Secretary of the East China Bureau, First Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, and concurrently Mayor of Shanghai. Chen Zhuxian was then Secretary of the CPC East China Bureau and Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee.
[2] Refers to the article “Many People in Shanghai Urgently Seek a Means of Livelihood,” published in the eighty-fourth issue of “Mass Feedback,” compiled and printed by the Secretariat Office of the CPC Central Committee General Office on December 12, 1963. The article stated that in recent years, there has been a marked increase in letters from Shanghai requesting solutions to employment and living problems. Based on current trends, the number of such letters continues to rise steadily. The majority of letter-writers are laid-off workers; next come young people who have failed to gain admission to higher education or secure employment; followed by other categories of unemployed individuals. Among the laid-off workers, there are roughly two types: one consists of elderly, weak, sick, or disabled workers who have already returned to their hometowns; the other comprises those whose families reside in urban Shanghai but who, after being laid off, have lost their means of subsistence and can only rely on their savings until they are exhausted. Some young people who have not been able to continue their studies either come from large families with low incomes or have lost both parents and are left without any support, all of whom are seeking employment. Judging from the letters received, a portion of these individuals harbor strong dissatisfaction, with some even expressing a desire to go to Hong Kong in search of work, or writing to the Soviet Embassy to request acceptance for employment or study in the Soviet Union. There are also cases of speculative trading and profiteering, and a small number have even joined or organized counter-revolutionary groups.

We must find ways to help them obtain employment. How many unemployed people are there in total in Shanghai? Could it be as many as several hundred thousand? Please investigate and report back. What are your views on resolving this issue? Please consider and inform me accordingly.
Mao Zedong
December 13, 1963

Comrades Liu, Deng, and Peng Zhen:

I have written a few remarks on page 84 of “Mass Feedback” [issue] and addressed them to Comrades Ke and Chen in Shanghai. I am sending them over for your review. If you think they are inappropriate, please return them for revision. If you deem them acceptable, please forward them to Yang Shangkun [3] for sealing and dispatch. This is a major issue that deserves close attention.
Mao Zedong
December 13

[1] “Liu” refers to Liu Shaoqi. “Deng” refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. “Peng Zhen” was then a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
(2) Namely, this very text.
(3) “Yang Shangkun” refers to Yang Shangkun, who at that time held the position of Alternate Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and Director of the CPC Central Committee General Office.