Critique and Revisions to the Article "The Crux of *Self-Cultivation* Is Its Betrayal of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat"

(May 4, 6, and 7, 1967)

I have some opinions, written within the text, for your consideration and decision.

Mao Zedong
May 4

[1]
Refers to the book *On the Self-Cultivation of Communists*. This comprises the first and second parts of a lecture on the self-cultivation of Communists delivered by Liu Shaoqi in July 1939 at the Yan'an Marxism-Leninism Institute. It was originally published in issues 81 to 84 of *Liberation*, the journal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in 1939, and was also issued as a separate pamphlet by the Yan'an Xinhua Bookstore. In 1949, after being reviewed and slightly revised by Liu Shaoqi, the Liberation Press (the predecessor of the People's Publishing House) published the first revised edition. In 1962, Liu Shaoqi reviewed it again, made some textual revisions and content additions, reorganized the original two parts into nine sections, and the People's Publishing House published the second revised edition.

[2]
The article "The Crux of *Self-Cultivation* Is Its Betrayal of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" was drafted by Wang Li and Guan Feng, members of the Cultural Revolution Group of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and deputy editors-in-chief of *Red Flag* magazine. It was revised by Chen Boda, head of the Cultural Revolution Group of the Central Committee and editor-in-chief of *Red Flag* magazine. Published as an editorial article of *Red Flag* magazine and *People's Daily*, it appeared in the sixth issue of *Red Flag* magazine on May 8, 1967, and in *People's Daily* on May 8, 1967. This article was submitted to Mao Zedong for review multiple times. Part One of this text is Mao's critique on the draft submitted for review on May 2; Part Two is his critique on the draft submitted on May 5; Part Three is his critique on the draft submitted on May 7; Parts Four and Five are two passages Mao added to the draft under review.

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After revision, it should be sent to the group[1] and the Standing Committee meeting for discussion and approval. Also,
Return to the Cultural Revolution Group.
On page 7, a few sentences have been added[2]; please examine whether they are appropriate. After finalization, please have the formal proof printed and sent for review as requested!

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Publish as is.

Four
Mao Zedong
May 6

Mao Zedong
May 7, 7:00 PM

This depiction of communist society is nothing new; it has existed since ancient times. In China, there are the "Great Harmony" chapter of the *Li Yun*[1], Tao Qian's "Record of the Peach Blossom Spring"[2], and Kang Youwei's *Book of Great Harmony*[3]. In foreign countries, there are the numerous works of French and British utopian socialists—all goods of the same ilk.

Five
According to the author's view, in communist society, everything is perfectly beautiful, without a trace of darkness, without a single contradiction, everything is fine, and there are no opposites. Society henceforth ceases to develop; not only does its quality remain forever unchanged, but even its quantity seems to remain forever unchanged. Social development thus comes to an end, remaining forever the same. Here, the author has discarded a fundamental law of Marxism—that everything, every human society, develops through the struggle of opposites, through contradictions. Here, the author preaches metaphysics and abandons the great dialectical materialism and historical materialism.

[1]
The *Li Yun* is a chapter in the *Book of Rites*, an anthology of Confucian thought and ritual writings from the Warring States period to the early Western Han Dynasty. The "Great Harmony" discussed therein refers to an ideal society where "the world is for the common good."

[2]
Tao Qian, also known as Tao Yuanming, was a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His prose piece "Record of the Peach Blossom Spring" describes a secluded, utopian land free from turmoil.

[3]
Kang Youwei was a modern Chinese politician, thinker, and leader of the bourgeois reformist faction. His *Book of Great Harmony* combined the "Great Harmony" concept from the *Li Yun* with the "Three Ages" theory of the Confucian Gongyang school, proposing his own vision of "Great Harmony," asserting that "in the age of Great Harmony, the world is for the common good, there are no classes, and all are equal."

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