Comment on the Report on the Rectification Situation
(June 27, 1964)

This document is to be sent to Comrades Liu, Zhou, Deng, Peng, Kang Sheng, Ding Yi, Zhou Yang, Wu Lengxi, and Chen Boda for perusal. Return to Mao after reading.

Most of these associations and the publications under their control (it is said there are a few good ones), over the past fifteen years, have basically (not everyone) failed to implement the Party's policies, acted as bureaucrats and overlords, refused to approach the workers, peasants, and soldiers, and failed to reflect socialist revolution and construction. In recent years, they have even slid to the brink of revisionism. If not seriously reformed, they will inevitably one day in the future become organizations like Hungary's Petőfi Club.

Mao Zedong
June 27, 1964

[I]
1. Failure to resolutely implement the Party's literary and artistic orientation. For a period, mainly before the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee, all units, to varying degrees, suffered from a blurred orientation and an unclear understanding of the class struggle situation. In literary and artistic creation, there was no active organization of writers and artists to create works reflecting the socialist era; many works could not properly serve socialist revolution and construction and were incompatible with the socialist economic base. The editorial departments of some association publications printed many things detached from the times and of little social significance, and even published some bad works that used the past to satirize the present and vent dissatisfaction with reality. 2. In literary and artistic theoretical criticism, the banner was not clear, combativeness was weak, and there was a lack of in-depth study and vigorous propagation of Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought. 3. In the literary and artistic ranks, there was insufficient estimation of the backward aspects of the ranks. The necessity for writers and artists to immerse themselves deeply in life and integrate with the masses of workers and peasants was neglected; the protracted nature of the ideological transformation of literary and artistic workers was overlooked; and the work of cultivating new forces was not emphasized.
The main problems in the revolutionization of the organs were: 1. The Party organizations of the Federation and various associations were not sound, their thinking was not revolutionized, they lacked a proletarian fighting style, and the political atmosphere within the organs was thin. 2. Among the staff, bourgeois ideology and work styles were quite serious. Relatively common and prominent was individualistic thinking; many sought fame and profit, were perfunctory and irresponsible in their work, and just went through the motions. 3. Some units had complex personnel and impure ranks. To change this situation, after examination and discussion, the Federation and various associations planned to adopt the following measures: 1. Further clarify the literary and artistic orientation, implement the Party's literary and artistic policies, and vigorously develop socialist literature and art. Currently, focus on the creation of reportage, modern dramas, modern quyi pieces, and revolutionary songs to promptly reflect the current struggle; at the same time, adopt effective measures to organize and help writers and artists immerse themselves deeply in the life of the masses for long periods, striving to create works that more profoundly encapsulate the era and create typical characters of the socialist era. Rectify the literary and artistic ranks and vigorously train young writers and artists. 2. Improve literary and artistic publications, strengthen their combativeness, so that they truly become strong positions for developing socialist literature and art, propagating the Party's literary and artistic policies, propagating Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought, and cultivating young creative forces. Simultaneously, strengthen the critical ranks. 3. Members of the Party leadership groups, core professional personnel, and all cadres of the Federation and various associations shall be sent down in batches and by rotation to participate in labor, grassroots work, rural socialist education movements, or rural cultural work teams, in order to remold their thinking, strengthen ties with the masses, and conduct investigations and research into the cultural life of the masses. 4. Organize cadres to study Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. 5. Strengthen the Party leadership groups, adjust their members, and solidify the leading core.

[2]

--- Notes

Refers to the draft report on the rectification situation of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and various associations, submitted by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee to the Central Committee on May 8, 1964. The report stated that on February 3 of this year, the Chinese Theatre Association held a Spring Festival evening party in the auditorium of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, where some programs were vulgar and low in taste, arousing public dissatisfaction. Lu Dingyi severely criticized this. Subsequently, all cadres from ten units—the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Writers Association, the Theatre Association, the Musicians Association, the Artists Association, the Film Workers Association, the Quyi Artists Association, the Dancers Association, the Folk Literature and Art Research Association, and the Photography Society—concentrated for over twenty days to conduct rectification. This rectification mainly examined issues in two areas: first, the implementation of the Party's orientation that literature and art serve the workers, peasants, and soldiers and serve socialism; second, the revolutionization of the organs. The main problems in implementing the Party's literary and artistic orientation were:

Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Peng refers to Peng Zhen, then member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Secretariat. Kang Sheng, then alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Secretariat. Ding Yi, namely Lu Dingyi, then alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Head of the Central Propaganda Department. Zhou Yang, then Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Writers Association. Wu Lengxi, then President of the Xinhua News Agency and Editor-in-Chief of the People's Daily. Chen Boda, then alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, and Editor-in-Chief of the Red Flag magazine.
In 1964, Mao Zedong was together with Li Xiannian, Yang Shangkun, Ulanhu, Deng Zihui, Zhang Dingcheng, and others.