Mao Zedong's Comment on the Report on the Cultural Revolution Situation in Beijing

(August 28, 1966)

This document is to be printed and distributed to the Political Bureau, the Secretariat, the Central Cultural Revolution Group, the Beijing Municipal Committee, as well as Comrades Bo Yibo and Tao Lujia[2]. This matter should be discussed.

Mao Zedong
Morning of August 28

[1] Refers to the report submitted on August 26, 1966, by Guan Feng and Qi Benyu, members of the Central Cultural Revolution Group of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, to Deputy Head Jiang Qing. The report stated that the Red Guards in Beijing had developed greatly after the mass rally of one million people on August 18, with organizations generally established in all universities and middle schools. The mainstream of the current movement is healthy, but there are also some shortcomings and certain side effects have arisen. For instance, there are many instances of people being seized and beaten, particularly the seizing and beating of some good people and middle-of-the-road masses; the scope of house searches has been somewhat broad; and there has been a bit too much interference in the daily habits of the masses. Some leading members of the new Beijing Municipal Committee have adopted a passive, wait-and-see attitude toward the activities of the Red Guards, not daring to actively come forward to lead the movement. What is particularly noteworthy is: (1) Certain individuals have used the Red Guards of some schools to oppose the "Sixteen Points"; (2) In some schools, the power of leadership has fallen into the hands of royalists, who are implementing a work team line without work teams. The report proposed four suggestions, including that the new Beijing Municipal Committee should stand at the front line of the movement to lead it and that the line of the work teams should be criticized. On August 27, Jiang Qing forwarded this report to Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong's comment was written on this report.

[2] Bo Yibo was then an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the State Economic Commission. Tao Lujia was then Deputy Director of the State Economic Commission.