Critique and Revision of Liu Shaoqi’s Reply to Jiang Weiqing [1]
(September 25 and October 18, 1964)

143

Volume 47 of the Complete Works of Mao Zedong

Comrade Shaoqi:
I have read your letter and the attachments [1]. Your letter is very well written. The existing problems must be solved exactly as you have written. Among our cadres, there are quite a few who consider themselves always in the right. One reason for this is their failure to understand the Marxist theory of knowledge. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to tirelessly propagate this theory of knowledge. Simply put, it means from the masses, to the masses. By resolving to go down and stay at grassroots units for long periods, one can hear the voice of the masses, gradually understand objective truth through practice, transform it into subjective truth, and then return to practice again to see whether it works. If it does not work, one must once again seek guidance from the practice of the masses. In this way, the problem of rigid frameworks, i.e., dogmatism, can be solved, and superstition can be dispelled. If this is not done, the higher one’s official position, the less truth one possesses. This applies to high officials as well as low ones. The revision of the second Ten Articles was achieved precisely by seeking guidance from the masses in this way, and by adopting an attitude of not considering ourselves always in the right and correcting mistakes whenever they are discovered. If a short theoretical passage were added to your letter, it might make it more convincing. What do you think? Please consider.

Mao Zedong
September 25

144

Critique and Revision of Liu Shaoqi’s Reply to Jiang Weiqing

Comrade Shaoqi:
I have reread the full text of your letter to Jiang Weiqing and find it truly excellent. Only on page 8, there are two sentences [1] that seem repetitive; they actually convey the same meaning. “Understanding objective truth” means it has become subjective truth; they are not two separate matters. The phrase “and transform it into…” should not be used, as it is redundant. I sensed this last time but did not make the change. Now I have revised it. Whether this is appropriate, please decide at your discretion.

Mao Zedong
October 18

So-called understanding objective truth means that in practice, people reflect the phenomena and essence of the external objective world, and through gradual change and sudden change, it becomes something not yet tested.

--- Notes

[1] Refers to Liu Shaoqi’s reply dated September 23, 1964, to Jiang Weiqing, First Secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, regarding Jiang’s letter of September 8. The reply states: “You have some misunderstanding of my conversation with you in Beijing. It is not wrong in principle to require cadres of prefectural, municipal, and county Party committees to earnestly study and research a speech by the provincial Party secretary. The problem is that your speech is not worth studying by cadres at various levels. It is full of empty talk and is basically a dogmatic speech. The reason for this problem is that you have become seriously divorced from reality and the masses. Regarding the current conditions of society, politics, economy, ideology, and the Party itself, which have undergone great changes, you actually understand less than before, yet you think you understand more. You also feel it is not very necessary to earnestly study the advanced experiences of other provinces. Consequently, you have become conceited, complacent, and stuck in your ways. This problem exists not only in your area but also, to varying degrees, in many central departments, many responsible comrades, and many responsible comrades of provincial, municipal, autonomous regional, prefectural, and county Party committees. To solve it, we must resolve to go down and stay at grassroots units for long periods, directly participate in and observe the masses’ struggles in production, class struggle, and scientific experiments. Then we will be able to hear the voice of the masses, and of course also listen to the various opinions of grassroots cadres and other cadres, and we will be able to gradually understand objective truth through practice.”


[1] Refers to Jiang Weiqing’s letter to Liu Shaoqi dated September 8, 1964, Jiang Weiqing’s speech at the Jiangsu Provincial Conference of Prefectural, Municipal, and County Party Committee Secretaries on July 27 of the same year (transcript), and the notice issued by the General Office of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee on July 28 of the same year regarding bringing the second batch of rural socialist education movements to a successful conclusion.


[2] Part One is Mao Zedong’s critique written on the draft of Liu Shaoqi’s reply to Jiang Weiqing. Part Two is Mao Zedong’s critique written on the draft of the CPC Central Committee’s directive dated October 16, 1964, regarding the earnest discussion of Comrade Liu Shaoqi’s letter in reply to Comrade Jiang Weiqing. This Central Committee directive was issued on October 20 of the same year as Document No. Zhong Fa [64] 672 to Party committees at the county and regimental levels. Part Three is a passage rewritten by Mao Zedong on October 18 when he reviewed Liu Shaoqi’s reply to Jiang Weiqing again.