Comrades Kang Sheng and Wen Yuan [1]:
Please study material [2] from the Erqi Factory. Add this to the materials from other factories
in Beijing and see if you can compile a document on Party rectification to urge
implementation in all localities.
Mao Zedong
August 25
The main reason for the failure seems to be the failure to attract outstanding rebel elements
to join the party organization and the excessive number of original members in the branch
[3].
Since there are too few Party members in the workshop revolutionary committee to play a
core role, yet the Party branch is required to strengthen its leadership, isn't that a
contradiction [4]?

[1] Kang Sheng was then a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
CPC Central Committee and an advisor to the Central Cultural Revolution Group. Wenyuan,
also known as Yao Wenyuan, was a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group.
[2] This refers to a Xinhua News Agency report titled "Reasons for the Formation of Two
Leadership Teams at the Beijing Erqi Locomotive Works," published in the 1383rd issue of

18 The date is significant as the name of a locomotive factory and refers to the massive railway workers’ strike
which occurred along the railway line from Beijing to Hankou in February 1923. At 9 a.m. on February 4
railway workers went on strike, and over the next several days every major city along the line was convulsed by
strike action. On February 7, Wu Peifu mobilized more than 20,000 military and police officers, and with the
cooperation of the director of the Beijing-Hankou Railway Bureau, suppressed striking workers in Hankou,
Zhengzhou, Changxindian and other places along the Beijing-Hankou Railway, resulting in 52 deaths, more
than 300 injuries, more than 40 arrests, and more than 1,000 railway workers being fired. The deceased
included Lin Xiangqian, a Communist Party member who led the strike. When he was ordered to call the strike
off, he said: "Without the order of the Federation of Trade Unions, work cannot be resumed.” After being asked
and answering three times, the head of his captors ordered the executioner to slash several times and behead
Lin Xiangqian.



the Xinhua News Agency's internal reference special issue, "Cultural Revolution Trends,"
published on August 24, 1968. This report states that the Beijing Erqi Locomotive Works
currently has two factory revolutionary committees and two leadership teams. One is the
old revolutionary committee established last October and the revolutionary committees of
each workshop, supported by members of the former "Red Creation League." The other is
the new draft committee, re-established on June 20 of this year, and the Party branches of
each workshop, supported by the "proletarian revolutionary faction," composed of the
majority of Party and League members. Due to the deepening divisions within the factory,
both revolutionary committees are now paralyzed.
[3] The Xinhua News Agency report stated that, according to the "Red Corps," the Erqi
Locomotive Factory hastily restored its Party organization during the Party rectification
process, without fully engaging in mass criticism, absorbing the opinions of the masses, or
recruiting rebels. Over 60% of the cadres in the restored Party branch were the same
personnel from before the Cultural Revolution. The "proletarian revolutionaries" argued that
the Erqi Factory's Party rectification and Party building process did not commit any errors in
direction or line, but rather that the Party branch committee was elected without involving
the masses. Mao Zedong underlined these two paragraphs and wrote this comment.
[4] The Xinhua News Agency report stated that the Military Control Commission of the Erqi
Locomotive Factory believed that "there were too few Party members in the Revolutionary
Committees of each workshop to play a core role, so the Party branches had to be allowed
to strengthen leadership, resulting in the formation of two centres." Mao Zedong underlined
this passage and wrote this comment.