Spring Festival Conversation Minutes
Kang Sheng (hereinafter referred to as Kang): The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty has come to pay New Year’s greetings (at the CPPCC).
Mao: The last emperor should be well united with others. Both the Guangxu Emperor and the Xuantong Emperor were my direct superiors. Xuantong’s salary of a little over one hundred yuan is too meager—after all, he was an emperor.
Zhang:
It is said that Xuantong’s uncle, Prince Zaitao, is living in very difficult circumstances.
Mao: Prince Zaitao served as Minister of the Army and studied in France. I know him, but not intimately. Could you help improve his living conditions? If necessary, provide him with fish for meals; otherwise, let him manage on his own.
Being a lackey is no good. Nehru is simply incapable. Imperialism and revisionism are doomed to fail. They may still act arrogantly now, brandishing their claws, but they have lost touch with the masses. Soviet revisionists are having a hard time, running into obstacles everywhere—in Romania, Poland refuses to follow them, Cuba only half-listens, the other half being out of sheer necessity since we provide neither oil nor weapons. Imperialist countries are also struggling.
Japan is resisting the United States. This resistance isn’t limited to the Japanese Communist Party or ordinary people; even big capitalists are opposed to U.S. influence. Not long ago, the North Iron Works refused a U.S. inspection. De Gaulle’s anti-American stance also reflects demands from the bourgeoisie. Their decision to establish diplomatic relations with China was entirely initiative.
Mao: Do you know about the Shen Chong incident?
Zhang: Is it Shen Congwen?
Mao: No, it involved a female student at Peking University who was raped by U.S. soldiers, sparking a nationwide anti-American movement. Today, U.S. imperialism is committing misdeeds everywhere and facing opposition everywhere.
People will inevitably be criticized. The more they criticize us, the better it is for us. The more openly imperialists, revisionists, and Chiang Kai-shek attack us, the better off we are. Recently, Chiang Kai-shek hasn’t been making many public attacks. Imperialists and Khrushchevian revisionists accuse us of empty rhetoric, labeling us sectarian and falsely revolutionary. If that’s the case, why don’t they publish our speeches? That just proves we have something to say. Recently, the Central Committee of the CPSU sent a letter to the CPC Central Committee proposing four points:
1. Stop the public polemics;
2. Send experts again;
3. Conduct Sino-Soviet border negotiations;
4. Expand trade. Border talks can begin on February 25th. We can engage in some trade, though not too much, because Soviet goods are bulky, expensive, and often come with hidden conditions.
Kang: The quality is poor.
Mao: Bulky, expensive, poor quality, and always with strings attached—doing business with them puts us at a disadvantage. It’s far easier to deal with the French bourgeoisie, which at least has some sense of commercial ethics.
There have been mistakes in our past work: first, blind commandism, and second, excessively high grain requisitioning, both of which have now been corrected. But we’ve swung to the opposite extreme—no direction at all, leading to a lack of motivation. We need to rally our spirits, so we must learn from the People’s Liberation Army and from Daqing Oilfield. The Ministry of Petroleum has developed a major oilfield at Daqing with low investment, short construction time, and high returns.
Every department should learn from the PLA; universities should do the same. The PLA acts as a combat force against enemies and a working team among its own ranks, accumulating valuable experience. Their work is superior to that of local governments and various departments, making them worthy models to emulate. In terms of work methods, we should highlight achievements, set up role models, offer ample praise, while also criticizing errors. Praise should be the primary approach, with criticism playing a supporting role. There are many good deeds and exemplary figures in our work that deserve recognition.
Last year, Hebei suffered a major disaster, while southern regions experienced severe drought. Despite initially promising harvests, torrential rains destroyed 20 billion jin of grain. Nevertheless, overall grain production still increased by over 10 billion jin last year. This year, we aim to achieve even better results. By learning from the PLA, the Ministry of Petroleum, and model examples from cities, villages, factories, schools, and government organs, we can overcome past shortcomings and improve this year’s work.
Today we held a symposium to discuss international issues. However, domestic problems remain fundamental. If things aren’t going well domestically, there’s no point in talking about foreign affairs. Currently, several countries are seeking to establish diplomatic relations with China, such as Congo. Lumumba’s Congo has launched a guerrilla war, yet they possess no modern weaponry—only Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Zhang Fei’s Eight-Foot Spear.
Deng Xiaoping (hereinafter referred to as Deng): And Huang Zhong’s arrows as well.
Mao: Essentially, it’s just the weapons of Guan, Zhang, Zhao, Ma, and Huang—no new technology. We didn’t have any advanced weapons back then either. During the Nanchang Uprising, two entire divisions were lost. Zhu De, Chen Yi, and Lin Biao led the remnants up to Jinggangshan. As for myself, I never had any military training. In 1918, I worked at Peking University Library, earning eight silver dollars a month, without any provisions for food, clothing, housing, or transportation. Zhang Shizhao declined Yuan Shikai’s offer to become his minister and instead became president of Peking University, where he went on to run a newspaper. Old man Huang Yan, are you a member of the constitutionalist faction?
February 13, 1964 (Spring Festival), Mao Zedong invited leaders from within and outside the Party to the Great Hall of the People for a symposium on educational work, proposing to shorten the school system, streamline curricula, and reform teaching methods.
Huang Yanpei (hereinafter referred to as Huang): I am a revolutionary, not a constitutionalist. I joined the Tongmenghui.
Zhang: He is a revolutionary.
Mao: Mr. Chen Xu, you belong to the Research Group. Zhang Shizhao participated in the Second Revolution and served as Premier in 1925. Now you are both with us, contributing to socialist construction in New China. Our plans for this year aim to achieve even better results—not only what the central leadership desires, but also what you hope for. Xu Deheng, are you from the Ministry of Industry?
[Name withheld]: Your ministry holds great promise.
Mao: Old Man Huang, your family is like various political parties and groups—the League for Democracy, the Association for Promoting Democracy, and the Communist Youth League. Your son, Huang Wanli, wrote a fine poem titled “He Xinlang,” which I greatly admire. Another member of the Jiusan Society also composed an excellent poem, which I appreciate. You have over ten children, yet few recognize you; you’re like Guo Ziyi.
Mao: All departments should learn from the People’s Liberation Army, establishing political departments and strengthening political work. We should highlight achievements, set up model figures, offer plenty of praise, while also criticizing mistakes. Praise should be the main approach, with criticism playing a supporting role. Our cause is filled with many good deeds that deserve recognition.
Today, I’d like to discuss education. While industry has made progress, I believe education also needs reform—it’s currently inadequate. I think the educational policies and guidelines are correct, but the methods are wrong and need to be changed. Present today are comrades from the central leadership, party members, non-party figures, and scientists from the Academy of Sciences. Now, Comrade Deng Xiaoping will speak.
Deng: One pressing issue in education today is the length of the school system. Children start school at age seven, followed by six years of elementary school, six years of middle school, and four to six years of university—typically five years—totaling seventeen to eighteen years before graduating at around twenty-four or twenty-five. After that, another year of labor and a year of internship bring them to twenty-six or twenty-seven, two to three years older than their Soviet counterparts. In the Soviet Union, students attended ten years of primary and secondary school, then four or five years of university, entering the workforce at twenty-four. At such an advanced age, they struggle to master humanities subjects, and the lengthy curriculum becomes particularly burdensome for those studying natural sciences, especially nuclear physics. Based on experiences from around the world, individuals can contribute significantly to scientific research by the age of twenty-four or twenty-five. For example, in the United States and the Soviet Union, successful researchers in nuclear science are generally around that age—when their minds are at their sharpest. Yet, our students are still in university at that stage, unable to enter the workforce. Graduating at twenty-six or twenty-seven is detrimental to scientific development. Therefore, the excessively long school system must be reconsidered.
Mao: It could be shortened somewhat.
Deng: Recently, Comrade Lin Feng proposed a plan: five years of elementary school and four years of middle school, allowing students to graduate at sixteen. Alternatively, if elementary school lasts six years, graduation would occur at seventeen.
The problem is that existing facilities cannot accommodate everyone. Universities only admit twelve to fifteen thousand students each year. Other students could enter employment at sixteen after completing two years of vocational education, entering factories or rural areas directly—this would be more practical. Alternatively, a two-year preparatory course could serve as a bridge to university, enabling students to enter the workforce around the age of twenty-four or twenty-five.
Mao: In summary, we should make it shorter. The central authorities are already studying the school system and have established a special task force led by Comrade [Name withheld] to implement these suggestions. Ideally, students would complete their education by the age of fifteen or sixteen. However, there is one issue: military service requires reaching a certain age, though young people can join the reserve forces.
Mao: That’s not a problem. Even those below the conscription age can participate in military life—both men and women can enlist, as seen in the Red Women’s Army. Girls aged sixteen or seventeen can undergo half a year to a year of military training, and at seventeen they can be drafted.
Deng: This would alleviate the burden on humanities schools, while posing greater challenges for science and engineering programs. Universities could offer a one- to two-year preparatory course, allowing students to transition from middle school directly into university-level studies or vocational training, receiving two years of education before entering factories or rural areas around the age of eighteen. This would make it easier for students pursuing STEM fields to graduate and enter the workforce around the ages of twenty-three or twenty-four.
Mao: Excessive study is killing people. Current curricula are overloaded and overly demanding, leaving middle and high school students—and even university students—in a constant state of tension. Myopia among schoolchildren has surged dramatically, indicating that change is urgently needed.
[Name withheld]: The curriculum is heavy and complex, teachers assign excessive homework, leaving students overwhelmed and extremely stressed, with no time for extracurricular activities or reading.
Mao: We can cut the curriculum in half. Students need opportunities for recreation, swimming, sports, and free reading time. Confucius taught his students only six subjects: rites, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy, and mathematics. Even with such a limited curriculum, he produced four great sages: Yan Hui, Zengzi, Xunzi, and Mencius. If students spend all day merely studying without engaging in cultural entertainment, physical activity, or swimming—if they can’t run and jump, and don’t read any extracurricular materials—it simply won’t work.
Deng:
Students are under immense pressure. When I was at home, my child told me that five minutes of studying were useless.
Mao: Historically, very few top scholars have gone on to achieve great success. Famous Tang poets Li Bai and Du Fu were neither jinshi nor hanlin scholars. Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan were only second-class jinshi graduates. Wang Shifu, Guan Hanqing, Luo Guanzhong, Pu Songling, and Cao Xueqin were all non-jinshi, non-hanlin figures. Pu Songling was merely promoted from xiucai to shengren, but never reached the level of juren. Those who attained the status of jinshi or hanlin scholar rarely achieved lasting success. During the Ming dynasty, only Emperors Hongwu and Yongle managed to govern effectively—one was illiterate, the other only marginally literate. Later, when intellectuals came to power during the Jiajing reign, internal strife ensued. Emperor Xian of Han and Emperor Houzhu of Southern Tang both perished due to an overemphasis on culture. Clearly, excessive study can be deadly. Liu Xiu was a university-educated man, whereas Liu Bang was a simple country bumpkin.
Deng: Too much homework and rote learning prevent students from thinking independently. The current examination methods…
Mao: The current examination methods are designed to test students’ ability to cope with adversaries rather than to assess their true understanding. Tactics such as surprise questions, bizarre questions, or requiring essays in the eight-legged essay style are unacceptable. I advocate for a complete overhaul. I propose publicly releasing exam questions beforehand, allowing students to study and prepare on their own. For example, if twenty questions are posed about “Dream of the Red Chamber,” some students might answer half correctly with creativity and originality, deserving full marks. Others may simply recite textbook answers verbatim, following the teacher’s instructions—such responses lack creativity and should receive only fifty or sixty points. Cheating through copying or impersonation is also common. Impersonation is essentially just copying someone else’s work. I wouldn’t allow it. If you write something yourself, even if I copy it, I might gain some insight and develop my own ideas. We should experiment with more flexible approaches, avoiding measures that stifle individuality. Some lecturers deliver their talks in a shaky voice, permitting students to doze off. If a lecture is uninteresting, it’s better to sleep and rest than to sit there listlessly. A brief nap can refresh the mind and allow for better focus.
Deng:
Shortening the school system would free up time for labor or military service. We could also consider allowing outstanding students to skip grades rather than keeping them stuck in the same class. My own child shares a classroom with a student who was originally top of the class but later skipped a grade and remained at the top. This shows that grade-skipping is feasible. Regarding the school system issue, I suggest Comrade [Name withheld] establish a dedicated task force to study it.
Mao: Let Comrades [Names withheld] and [Name withheld] join this task force. Currently, our education system is too rigid—overly heavy coursework and inflexible exams—which we strongly oppose. The current educational approach is destructive to talent and youth. I disapprove of excessive bookishness. Examination methods are harmful to students and should be stopped.
Lu Dingyi (hereinafter referred to as Lu): An ongoing meeting is currently discussing education, focusing on two key issues: first, the heavy academic burden on students, with homework assigned for every subject; and second, the three different educational philosophies—Confucian, Soviet, and Deweyan.
Mao: Confucianism wasn’t like that. We’ve abandoned Confucius’s core principles. He only taught six subjects: rites, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy, and mathematics. (Chairman Mao asks Zhang Shizhao: Is “book” referring to calligraphy or history?)
Zhang: It’s calligraphy.
Mao: It’s history—such as the Book of Documents and the Records of the Grand Historian.
Lu: Nowadays, primary and secondary schools prioritize college entrance above all else, refusing to encourage students to engage in productive labor after graduation. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Education must be combined with productive labor. Furthermore, a dual-track approach should be adopted. Last year, Hebei Province experienced severe flooding, putting tremendous pressure on the education system. Many schools collapsed, prompting efforts to set up makeshift schools. However, this actually resulted in an increase in the number of students attending primary and secondary schools.
Mao: The flood washed away dogmatism—both foreign and indigenous forms of dogma must be eliminated.
Lu: In other places, they standardize education using single-classroom instruction, refusing to adopt multi-grade teaching. As a result, student enrollment declines, and the number of impoverished farmers decreases. Many impoverished farmers end up dropping out of school. Hebei Province has valuable experience in this regard. In Xinhui County, Guangdong Province, investigators surveyed over a dozen agricultural and regular secondary schools. It costs the state 120 yuan annually to educate one student in a regular secondary school, whereas only 6.8 yuan is required to educate a student in an agricultural secondary school. Graduates of agricultural schools have no trouble finding employment, while graduates of regular secondary schools often struggle to get into university and subsequently find jobs. Therefore, all secondary schools should adopt a dual-track approach, while simultaneously focusing on improving quality. Previously, we followed the Soviet model, which underwent a significant reform in 1958—increasing labor participation while neglecting academic study. Once adjusted, the situation improved. The same applies to literature and art; current standards are relatively high, but they wouldn’t exist without the efforts of five or eight years ago.
Mao: We should drive all actors, poets, writers, and playwrights out of the city, expelling them in stages to the countryside and factories. Writers should not be allowed to reside in government offices. Those who refuse to go to the countryside will not be provided with meals; only after they leave will food be served.
Lu: Currently, approximately 2.3% of primary and secondary school teachers are considered undesirable elements, and some schools have notorious problematic teachers.
Mao: That’s not a problem; they can be reassigned to other jobs.
Lu: Nowadays, the worst-performing students tend to pursue teacher training, while the best students choose science and engineering. In the future, teacher training programs could consider recruiting students who have gained one or two years of work experience after graduating from high school, rather than directly admitting recent high school graduates. Students studying natural sciences should also be encouraged to go to the countryside. Harbin’s [School Name Withheld] has experience in sending teachers to rural areas for a period of one to two years. Teachers who initially struggled with manual labor often return having improved significantly and become key personnel.
Mao: It is essential to send them down. Some people today underestimate the importance of going to the countryside to work. During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen traveled extensively, climbing mountains to collect medicinal herbs. Zu Chongzhi never attended middle school or university either. Confucius himself came from a poor farming background, tending sheep, and never received formal schooling. He was a jack-of-all-trades—playing music, driving carriages, riding horses, shooting arrows, even performing accounting tasks. He was known as a “drummer,” providing entertainment for funerals and other events. He also served as a coachman, effectively acting as a driver. Through his teachings, he cultivated seventy-two virtuous disciples, with a total of three thousand students. He grew up among ordinary people and deeply understood their hardships. Later, he served as a court official in the State of Lu, though not in a particularly high-ranking position. Lu had a population of over a million, and Confucius was often looked down upon by others. While traveling among different states, people frequently criticized him, saying he couldn’t endure hardship or withstand insults. Eventually, Zilu became Confucius’s personal bodyguard, strictly forbidding anyone from speaking ill of him. Anyone who dared to do so would be beaten, effectively silencing dissenting voices. As a result, negative comments ceased to reach Confucius’s ears, and people began to keep their distance. This broke with Confucius’s traditional practice of openness, causing him to lose face. Our policies are correct, but our methods are flawed. The current school system, curriculum, teaching methods, and examination procedures all contain numerous problems that require comprehensive reform. This system is destructive to individuals.
Lu: A five-year elementary school program is feasible.
Mao: Elementary school shouldn’t be too long either. Maxim Gorky only attended elementary school for two years, acquiring all his knowledge through self-study. Franklin in America started as a newspaper seller before inventing electricity, and Watt was a worker who invented the steam engine. Throughout history, many scientists worldwide have educated themselves through practical experience.

Spring Festival Conversation Minutes
Lin Feng (hereinafter referred to as Lin): In the future, after educational reforms, students could enter the workforce around the ages of twenty-two or twenty-four. Starting school at seven is too late; we could lower the entry age to six, though this would present housing challenges. Extending elementary school to five years could help address some of these issues.
Middle school would last four years, followed by one or two years of preparatory courses, while university admissions could vary depending on the specific discipline. Each year, universities could admit between 140,000 and 150,000 students, offering a one- or two-year preparatory course.
[Name withheld]: Before entering university, students could spend some time working in factories or engaging in rural labor.
Mao: They could also gain experience in the military.
Lin: That works for humanities students, but science students may forget what they’ve learned after two years of labor.
Kang:
In the Soviet Union, students who completed two years of labor after finishing middle school would then proceed to study science and mathematics, but there was no smooth transition.
On February 13, 1964, Mao Zedong conversed with Guo Moruo during a Spring Festival symposium.
Lin:
Universities generally follow three types of academic systems: six-year programs mainly for medical fields, five-year programs for science and engineering, and four-year programs for humanities.
Most universities currently operate on a four-year system. In the future, we should diversify the academic structure, adopting multiple systems. Urban secondary schools could offer two options: one leading to university admission, and another resulting in graduation with a specialized diploma after two years.
Mao: That’s right—we need diversity.
Lin: The main problem with the curriculum is its lack of focus. There’s also the issue we discussed earlier: many courses are repeated multiple times. Middle school students take eight or nine subjects per semester, with frequent exams, creating a lot of stress.
Mao: The current issues are twofold: first, an excess of coursework; second, an overabundance of textbooks, placing undue pressure on students. Some subjects don’t necessarily need to be tested—for example, logic and grammar in high school. A genuine understanding of these concepts develops gradually through practical application at work. Students simply need to grasp the essence of grammar and logic.
Peng Zhen: What we’re doing now is mere indoctrination—rote memorization and regurgitation.
Lu: There are currently two opposing views: one advocates for thorough, in-depth lectures delivered in class, while the other emphasizes that students should be able to understand and learn quickly with less content. Many schools currently favor the former approach, which isn’t impossible. However, insisting on such a method can lead to intellectual rigidity.
Mao: The curriculum is overly detailed—a veritable philosophy of complexity. The commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics are so convoluted that they are now impossible to digest. Such intricate philosophies are ultimately destined to perish. For instance, despite countless annotations on the Buddhist scriptures, they have all been systematically eliminated. I believe that students educated through such methods—whether in China, the United States, or the Soviet Union—will eventually be destroyed, turning inward and becoming their own opposites. Take the Diamond Sutra, for example. Although Xuanzang simplified it considerably during his verification process, reducing it to just over a thousand words, it remains in use today. On the other hand, the annotations made by Kumarajiva were so excessive that they have since vanished. Isn’t it possible to dispense with the extensive commentary on the Five Classics and Thirteen Classics? The result is that no one reads them anymore. From the 14th to 15th centuries, we indulged in this elaborate philosophical discourse. It wasn’t until the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries that the Enlightenment emerged, ushering in the Renaissance. Books shouldn’t be read excessively. While Marxist texts are important and should be studied, one shouldn’t overindulge—ten books are sufficient. Reading too much can lead to becoming a bookworm, falling prey to dogmatism, or embracing revisionism. Confucius’s writings contain no agricultural knowledge, which is why his students were physically inactive and lacked a clear understanding of grains. We need to find ways to address this issue.
We must oppose both foreign and indigenous dogmas and forge our own path.
[Name withheld]: There’s also a political dimension to this, along with the issue of student meals, which needs improvement. The current monthly allowance of twelve yuan and fifty cents should be increased by forty million yuan.
Mao: Increasing it by forty million yuan is acceptable.
[Name withheld]:
Increase it by two to four yuan.
Mao: Overstudying leads to ruin. Emperor Wu of Liang initially fared well, but later, as he became obsessed with books, he starved to death within the palace walls.
At the 1964 New Year’s Gala, Mao Zedong warmly conversed with senior generals, including Chen Shice, who was responsible for building China’s two atomic bomb bases.
Regarding the organization of senior cadres’ study of the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin [1]
(February 15, 1964)
Comrade Lu Dingyi:
(1) I have reviewed this document and found it very good; it can be issued immediately.
(2) Please expedite the processing of thirty books printed in large type, bound in thread-sewn volumes, divided into multiple sections (a large book split into ten or eight volumes, while smaller books remain undivided, and medium-sized books still need to be separated into several parts). I hope this can be completed this year. Could you please consider this matter and let me know your thoughts? Would it be appropriate to print ten thousand, twenty thousand, or thirty thousand copies of each volume? I am eager to see these large-type books.
Mao Zedong
February 15th
[1]

--- Notes

This annotation was written on a report submitted by the CPC Central Propaganda Department on December 31, 1963, requesting central approval to distribute two materials for organizing senior cadres’ study of the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin.
[2]
Lu Dingyi, who at the time served as Secretary of the CPC Central Secretariat and Head of the Central Propaganda Department.
[3]
Refers to the two materials proposed by the Central Propaganda Department for central distribution, along with a draft of the central directive and a catalog of selected readings from the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin. The two materials are: Chinese…