(When reporting on the Xiangtan issue, and talking about the fact that many workers in
Xiangtan were deceived, the PLA was based on political offensives, and the Xiangtan rebels
went back to act according to the policies after concentrated study in Changsha)
Mao Zedong (hereinafter referred to as Mao): Xiangtan's experience is very good.
Mao: Such a large number of industrial workers will not be royalists for life, and they must
be treated correctly. As for their leaders, they should rely on the people below to rise up and
rebel.
(When talking about the Changde and Anjiang issues, and reporting on the conservatives in
these places inciting farmers to go to the city to create rebels)
Mao: It's good to fight, and get an education. It's not easy for many farmers to go to the city.
Now it's 15 work points, and there are still 30 work points. Some draw lots to fight, some are
2 yuan a day, and some are 100 yuan for each battle. If you kill someone, you will be given
100 yuan, and if you don't kill someone, you will also be given 100 yuan.
(When talking about the struggle of masons and carpenters)
Mao: Masons and carpenters had some guild ideas and were afraid that people from the
countryside would move to the city. At that time, each person had to pay six yuan to join the
guild.
(When talking about the civil war, some people said that some organizations are large and
think that they should be the centre because they have many people)
Mao: That is not necessarily true.
(When talking about seizing guns)
Mao: Seizing guns scared you very much. In name, they were seizing, but in fact, they were
distributing them. The political cadre school distributed guns to the rebels.
(When talking about the PLA going to factories, the rebels treated the PLA very well, gave
reports to the PLA, armed protection of the PLA, and the PLA soldiers explained the three
major disciplines and eight points of attention to the rebels, and deepened their relationship
with the rebels)
Mao: This is also an experience.
(When talking about extreme "left" thoughts)



Mao: There are a few slogans, it doesn't matter, if they are more, the masses will rise up to
criticize, you don't have to arrest people.
(When talking about the reception station gathering some deceived masses for study)
Mao: It is not enough for them to study alone, the rebels should also study! Otherwise, it
will be difficult to get along after returning.
(When talking about the issue of "Gao Si"14)
Mao: "Gao Si" also sent me a lot of telegrams, sent to Shanghai, and forwarded by Zhang
Chunqiao.
Mao: Isn't there a person named Wan?
(When someone reported that the masses did not agree with Wan's arrival at the
preparatory group for the revolution)
Mao: Wait for a while.
(When talking about the army not being able to carry guns)
Mao: The People's Liberation Army has "five nos".
(When someone asked whether the People's Liberation Army could carry guns during the
parade)
Mao: The army can participate in the general meeting armed.
(When talking about the issue of military regions)
Mao: In the past, the military region sent out patrol teams on motorcycles, but they were
stopped. They had no prestige. Now the military organizes patrol teams, which is good. The
military is a big army.
(When talking about the military region carrying out the four majors, the military region
guesthouse also carried out the four majors, and several internal organizations had different
opinions, and the chef stopped cooking)
Mao: The chef is not easy to mess with.
(When talking about the train not being able to run)
Mao: The opposite of not being able to run is running. There is pressure from both the
society and the internal.

14 The abbreviation of the Red Guard Headquarters of Changsha Colleges and Universities. it was supported by
the Hunan Provincial Military Region and opposed to the Xiangjiang Wind and Thunder and the Changsha
Revolutionary Rebel Workers' Joint Committee.



Mao: That year when I went to Xiangtan, there was a Wang Zhiguo in the prefectural
committee. Where is he now?
Hua Guofeng: In Changsha, he was severely criticized.
Mao: Why was he criticized so severely? I know he is in poor health! He has high blood
pressure.
(When the report was made to the military region that a mistake had been made, affecting
the military sub-district, the county people's armed forces department, the provincial party
committee, the provincial people's committee, the prefectural college, and the municipal
organs, which were paralysed)
Mao: The central Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Reclamation are no longer
effective, the Meteorological Bureau still plays a leading role, the Propaganda Department
and the Ministry of Culture are no longer effective, but the factories are still producing and
the farmers are still farming!
Zhang Chunqiao (hereinafter referred to as Zhang): In the past, we tried to streamline the
system, but it didn't work after several years. Now, this proves that we can streamline it
greatly in the future.
(When talking about the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs)
Mao: In the past, it seemed that it would be terrible if there were no public security,
procuratorial and judicial organs. When I heard that the public security, procuratorial and
judicial organs had collapsed, I was very happy.
(When talking about the cadre issue)
Mao: To clean up the cadres, we need to carry out mass movements. It would be impossible
to clean up so many military sub-districts and armed forces departments without the
Cultural Revolution. In the past, these people were old revolutionaries with old
qualifications, and no one could touch them. In the past, local party and government organs
did not have guns, so they relied on military organs.
Mao: In the end, the majority of cadres are good. We should unite the majority, including
those who have made mistakes and have made self-criticisms to the masses. Except for a
very small number of bad people, the scope of the crackdown is too wide, which is not good.
(When talking about the training of cadres who have made mistakes)
Mao: The army and the party organs should be trained, not only those who have made
mistakes, but also those who have not made mistakes. The Red Guards should also be
recruited to participate and help them learn.



(When talking about the "Red Flag Army" issue in Hunan15)
Mao: Let's study it again and see what happens. Don't be so ignorant about the affairs of the
world. Let's recover first and then talk about it.
Zhang: Comrade Lin Biao approved a document last year pointing out that the re-instated
and retired soldiers should not set up organizations separately. They should be persuaded to
form a big union now, combine with other organizations, or join other township
organizations.
(When talking about the establishment of a temporary leadership group in Xiangtan)
Mao: The temporary leadership group will be set up in September and October.
Zhang: Jiangxi has also established a temporary leadership group, and the garrison has held
a provincial meeting, and the situation is very good.
Mao: Meetings are also training.
(When talking about the issue of the great union and the issue of strengthening unity within
the left)
Mao: Everyone should make self-criticism, talk less about others' shortcomings, and don't
point the spearhead at the other side. In the past, we had an experience that in the past, the
relationship between the army and the local governments was that the army proposed to
support the government and love the people, and the local governments proposed to
support the army and honour the families of soldiers. The army took the lead in selfcriticism, and the relationship between the two sides was very good!
Zhang: There is such a passage in the Chairman's Quotations.
Mao: Both groups are workers, one is rebellious and the other is conservative. The
conservatives are deceived by someone above them. You cannot suppress the deceived
masses. The more you suppress them, the more they will resist. We were also suppressed by
Chiang Kai-shek. After the Great Revolution, we were only a few tens of thousands of
people. Chiang Kai-shek suppressed us, and we had hope. He suppressed us and produced
300,000 Red Army soldiers and 300,000 party members. Later, we made mistakes, and only
then did we have the 25,000-mile Long March.
(When talking about taking guns)
Mao: Don’t rush to grab guns, the militia will have tens of thousands of guns.
(When talking about the fortifications in Changsha)

15 The Hunan Red Flag Army was a revolutionary mass organisation established on December 6, 1966 in
Changsha.  It allied itself with the Xiangjiang Wind and Thunder mass organisation to oppose Long Shujin and
the Gao Si group.



Mao: If you are worried, keep them for a period of time.
Yang Chengwu: Don’t demolish the cement ones, it is also a preparation for war.

[1] On September 18, 1967, Mao Zedong met with Li Yuan, Hua Guofeng, and Zhang Bosen
from the Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Preparatory Group in Changsha, accompanied by
Yang Chengwu, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Dongxing, and Yu Lijin. This was Mao Zedong's
instruction on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in Hunan Province when he listened
to the report of the Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Preparatory Group.