After Liu, Deng, and Peng [2] have read this, please have Shangkun [3] handle it.
This document should be distributed to each of the ministers and vice-ministers of the Central Propaganda Department, each of the ministers, vice-ministers, and department and bureau heads of the Central Ministry of Education, one copy for each of the responsible persons of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal People's Committee and the comrades in charge of education, and three copies for the Communist Youth League Central Committee.
And ask them to conduct investigation and research.
Currently, school curricula are too numerous, and the pressure on students is too great.
The teaching methods are also not very effective.
Examination methods treat students as enemies, launching surprise attacks.
These three items are all detrimental to cultivating the lively, vigorous, and proactive development of young people in moral, intellectual, and physical aspects.
Mao Zedong
March 10, 1964
Printed according to the manuscript.

Notes
[1] This is a directive written by Mao Zedong on the sixteenth issue of "Masses' Reflections," compiled and printed on March 6, 1964, by the Secretariat of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This issue of "Masses' Reflections" excerpted a letter from Wei Lian, the principal of Beijing Railway No. 2 Middle School, dated February 1964, regarding his opinions on the issue of reducing the burden on middle school students.
[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC. Peng refers to Peng Zhen, then a secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPC.
[3] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun (1907–1998), a native of Tongnan, Sichuan (now part of Chongqing Municipality). He was then an alternate secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPC and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.