To Comrade Peng Zhen: Please forward this to Comrade Gu Mu:
Before the National Design Conference scheduled for February next year, all design institutes should be mobilized to participate in a mass movement for design revolution, engaging in extensive discussions and free expression of opinions. Within three months, significant results can be achieved. Comrade Gu Mu should immediately make arrangements, conduct several inspections and supervisions, and summarize experiences. This is earnestly requested!
m
Dong
Ze
Month
Mao
–
l
To Comrade Peng Zhen:
Please inform Comrade Gu Mu that his deployment is excellent.
Preface Regarding the Launch of a Mass Movement for Design Revolution
Mao Zedong
November 8th
[1]
This first annotation was written on the 408th issue of the “Briefing on Current Affairs,” compiled and printed by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on October 29, 1964. The briefing excerpted a letter dated October 24, 1964, from Song Yangchu, Vice Minister of Construction, addressed to Bo Yibo and Li Fuchun, concerning certain design units’ initiation of a mass movement to reform their design practices. The second annotation was penned on a report dated November 2, 1964, by Gu Mu, Deputy Director of the State Economic Commission and Director of the CPC Central Committee’s Department of Industry and Transportation Politics, to Peng Zhen—also copied to Mao Zedong—detailing specific measures for launching a mass movement for design revolution. In his letter, Song Yangchu noted that over the past two to three months, fourteen design institutes had successively launched movements to reform their design work. These efforts took three main forms:
First, some began by organizing study sessions on the Party’s policies and guidelines, followed by analyzing and reviewing projects, summarizing lessons learned, and finally proposing concrete measures to reform design practices.
Second, others initiated campaigns by criticizing the bourgeois ideology and work styles of certain individuals, integrating this with efforts to revolutionize work processes and dissecting “sparrows” to reform design management systems and regulations.
Third, some started by implementing the principle of building the nation through thrift and hard work, inspecting the quality of design drawings, encouraging public discussion, conducting on-site experience summaries, and ultimately reforming standards, quotas, and relevant manuals.
At the outset of these reform movements, many faced ideological obstacles, with some harboring considerable reservations. However, these barriers have now largely been overcome, and the campaigns are steadily gaining momentum. It appears that launching such a mass reform movement from the grassroots level prior to the convening of the national design conference can enrich the conference’s agenda while simultaneously elevating the ideological and policy awareness of design professionals. This will be highly beneficial for further advancing the revolutionary transformation of design work in the future.
In his report, Gu Mu outlined the following specific steps for launching the mass movement for design revolution:
First, all design institutes, beginning with those located in Beijing, should immediately take action to prepare and launch the mass movement in phases and batches. Each ministry should concentrate its efforts on effectively managing one particular institute, promptly summarizing experiences to guide and promote progress in other units. Second, over the next three months, the primary focus should be on thoroughly exposing problems existing in design thinking and methods, in order to better prepare for the national design conference scheduled for February of next year. Matters such as classifying personnel within design institutes and rectifying their ranks should be addressed at an appropriate time. Third, the implementation of the design revolution movement should generally follow three stages: mobilizing the masses to bring forth issues; selecting key design projects, dissecting “sparrows” to examine and analyze existing problems; and finally reforming relevant rules and regulations. Fourth, each ministry should designate a vice minister to oversee and organize dedicated teams responsible for carrying out this work.
[2]
Peng Zhen, who at the time served as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a secretary of the Secretariat.
On November 1, 1964, Mao Zedong met with King Mohammad Zaher Shah of the Kingdom of Afghanistan.