Returned to the Premier's Office.
Please have Comrade Lin Biao [2] preside over a meeting to approve it and issue it
immediately.
Mao Zedong
December 15

[1] This comment was written on a report submitted by Premier Zhou Enlai to Mao Zedong
and Lin Biao for review on December 13, 1966. Zhou Enlai wrote: "Regarding the procedures
for this document, please consider whether to convene a meeting of the Standing
Committee and a few comrades from the Cultural Revolution Group at the Chairman's office,
or to continue with the previous method and have Comrade Lin Biao preside over a meeting
of comrades from the Politburo, Secretariat, Cultural Revolution Group, and Beijing
Municipal Committee. Please approve the decision." The opinions of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of China submitted by Zhou Enlai for review consisted of ten points:
1. Resolutely implement the directives of Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee to
"grasp revolution and promote production," vigorously promote the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution, promote the revolutionization of people's thinking, and promote the
development of agricultural production. 2. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in rural
areas should be carried out in accordance with the Sixteen-Point Decision of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, as
well as the first ten and twenty-three points of the Socialist Education Movement. The
masses must be the masters of their own affairs, educate themselves, liberate themselves,
and rise up for revolution. Generally, work teams will not be dispatched. Consider sending a
small but elite group of observers. Third, the focus of the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution in rural areas is to rectify the handful of capitalist-roaders in power within the
Party and the landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, and bad elements who have
not been properly reformed. The "Four Cleanups" movement should be incorporated into
the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, the issues of the "Four Cleanups"
and its review should be addressed. The old ideas, culture, customs, and habits of the
exploiting classes should be thoroughly destroyed, and the new ideas, culture, customs, and
habits of the proletariat should be established. The Cultural Revolution should also correct
the bureaucratic and commandist style of work among cadres and implement a system of
cadre participation in labour. Fourth, during the Cultural Revolution in rural areas, we must
firmly rely on the poor and lower-middle peasants and unite with the middle peasants,
gradually achieving unity with over 95% of the masses and over 95% of the cadres. Fifth, the



leading authority for the Cultural Revolution in rural areas is the Poor and Lower-Middle
Peasants Cultural Revolution Committee, democratically elected by the Poor and Lower-
Middle Peasants Congress. If incompetent, it can be re-elected or replaced at any time. After
mass discussion, the production leadership team will be strengthened or re-elected to be
responsible for production, distribution, procurement, and supply. Sixth, during the Cultural
Revolution, Red Guards will be established and developed, with young people from the poor
and lower-middle peasants as their backbone. Red Guards may participate in the militia.
Children of leading cadres at all levels in rural areas should generally not serve in leadership
positions in the Red Guards. Children of landlords and rich peasants working or studying
outside their hometowns should not return to their hometowns to organize. A policy of
avoidance should be adopted, as was done during land reform. Seventh, the Cultural
Revolution in rural areas should also adopt the policy of free speech, free airing of views,
big-character posters, and great debates, practicing great democracy. Between teams and
between communities, we can use the space and time of production to establish
connections. We can also organize a group of revolutionary students to go to the countryside
and connect with the poor and lower-middle peasants, living and working together, and
participating in the rural Cultural Revolution. However, we should not take over and replace
them. In the struggle, we should present facts and reason, insisting on cultural struggle
rather than physical confrontation. We should prevent bad elements from inciting factional
struggles. 8. Revolutionary masses who raise opinions to the leadership or post big-character
posters during the Cultural Revolution must not be retaliated against or have their work
points deducted. Revolutionary masses labeled "counter-revolutionaries," "saboteurs," etc.
for raising opinions should be rehabilitated. Landlords, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists are targets of dictatorship; they must not be
allowed to rebel against the proletariat or against the poor and lower-middle peasants. 9.
Secondary schools will be closed for revolutionary activities until next summer vacation. The
Cultural Revolution in universities and middle schools for students who are part-time
farmers and part-time students should be carried out in accordance with the principle of
"grasping the revolution and promoting production" and appropriately arranged according
to specific circumstances. The Cultural Revolution in rural primary schools should be carried
out in conjunction with the local communes and production teams, under the unified
leadership of the Cultural Revolution Committees of the respective communes and
production teams. 10. During the Cultural Revolution, we must actively study and apply
Chairman Mao's works, taking class struggle as the guiding principle and focusing on the
word "application." Through the Cultural Revolution, the countryside was transformed into a
university for studying Mao Zedong Thought. On December 15, the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of China issued this document.
[2] Lin Biao was re-elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC
Central Committee at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th CPC Central Committee and was
soon named Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee.