Comrade Lin Biao read it and return it to Wang Dongxing for implementation.
Mao Zedong
February 20, 11:00 a.m.

[1] This comment was written on a draft letter submitted to the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China for review by Zhou Enlai and others on February 20, 1967. The
letter pointed out that the poor and lower-middle peasants are the main force in the
countryside promoting revolution and production. As spring ploughing begins, Chairman
Mao and the Party Central Committee call on you to earnestly promote revolution and
production, mobilize all forces, and immediately and actively work to ensure a successful
spring ploughing season. Cadres at all levels in rural people's communes should be adept at
consulting with the poor and lower-middle peasants and all working people to create a high
tide in spring ploughing. The Party Central Committee believes that the vast majority of
cadres at all levels in rural people's communes are good or relatively good. Comrades who
have made mistakes should also strive to make amends during spring ploughing. If cadres do
so, the poor and lower-middle peasants should forgive them and support their work.
Criticism of them should adopt the attitude consistently instructed by Chairman Mao of
"punishing the past and addressing the future, curing the illness and saving the patient."
Landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists are absolutely
prohibited from making reckless remarks or making unwarranted moves, disrupting
production, undermining the unity of the working people, or inciting factional disputes. They
must earnestly continue to undergo labour reform under the supervision of the poor and
lower-middle peasants. Cadres removed from office during the "Four Cleanups" movement
must actively participate in labour and reform themselves; they must not resort to
retaliatory measures. I suggest that you consider immediately convening a meeting of cadres
at the commune, production brigade, and production team levels to arrange spring
ploughing production. I also suggest that you hold a meeting of all production team
members to discuss spring ploughing production. I also suggest that the People's Liberation
Army troops stationed in the area and military agencies at all levels strongly support and
assist spring ploughing production. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
issued this letter that same day, requesting that it be read and posted in the countryside.