Comrade Yao Wenyuan [1]:
This document [2] seems suitable for publication in the People's Daily. "Since a large number
of cadres have been sent down to work in the countryside, this is an excellent opportunity
for them to relearn. All cadres, except for the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled, should do
so. Cadres who are still in office should also be sent down to work in the countryside in
batches. Please raise the above points for discussion and decision at the meeting.
Mao Zedong
30 September
Can be used. [3]

[1] Yao Wenyuan, then a member of the Central Committee's Cultural Revolution Group.
[2] The article titled ‘The Liuhe “May 7th” Cadre School Blazes a New Trail for the
Revolutionisation of Government Agencies’ was published in the ‘Compilation of Cultural
Revolution Developments’ No. 628, compiled and printed by the Editorial Office of the
People's Daily on 29 September 1968. The article states that on 7 May this year, marking the
second anniversary of Chairman Mao's ‘May 7th’ directive, the Heilongjiang Provincial
Revolutionary Committee organised a large number of government officials to be sent down
to work in the countryside, establishing a farm in Liuhe County, Qing'an County, named the
‘May 7th’ Cadre School, paving a new path for the revolutionary transformation of
government agencies and reforming the superstructure. The cadre school had a total of 141
students, primarily former provincial and municipal government officials and staff members
of the Revolutionary Committee. Government officials establishing a farm and taking the
path of combining with workers and farmers has been warmly welcomed by the vast
majority of poor and lower-middle peasants. Many officials, after arriving at the Cadre
School, personally visited the front lines of the Three Revolutions, came into close contact
with poor and lower-middle peasants, and strengthened their ideological and emotional
connection with the working people. At present, the Cadre School cultivated over 3,000
acres of land, with agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, side industries, and fisheries all
developing comprehensively, and it also established small-scale factories and enterprises
through self-reliance. Practice has proven that the ‘May 7th’ Cadre School is an excellent
place for the transformation and cultivation of cadres, and a good method for achieving the



revolutionary transformation of government agencies and conducting the struggle, criticism,
transformation campaign. On 5 October 1968, the People's Daily published this article, with the title changed to ‘The Liuhe “May 7th” Cadre School Provides New Experience for the Revolutionisation of Government Agencies,’ and the
editor's note quoted the main content of Mao Zedong's comments.
[3] This comment was written on the draft of the editor's note that Yao Wenyuan submitted
to the People's Daily for review on October 2, 1968, for the publication of the article "Liuhe
"May 7th" Cadre School Provides New Experience for the Revolutionization of Institutions".
The draft notes said that Mao Zedong's comments on the experience of the Liuhe "May 7th"
Cadre School "are of great significance to opposing revisionism, preventing revisionism, and
carrying out struggle, criticism, and transformation, and should be taken seriously by our
revolutionary cadres at all levels and the broad masses of the revolutionary people. We
hope that the broad masses of cadres (except the old, weak, sick, and disabled), including
those who have made mistakes, will follow Chairman Mao's instructions and relearn in the
process of being sent down to work, so that their mental outlook can be more thoroughly
revolutionized. The new and old revolutionary cadres working in the revolutionary
committees should also follow Chairman Mao's instructions and be sent down to work in
stages and batches, so that they will not be separated from the working people and will be
both "officials" and ordinary people. New cadres should pay special attention not to be
infected with the bad style of the exploiting class of being separated from the masses,
separated from labor, relying on secretaries for everything, and being officials and masters,
and should maintain the vigorous revolutionary youth of the proletariat."