Chapter 5 Accelerate the socialist transformation of the handicraft industry [1]

(March 4, 1956) (1) I think the speed of socialist transformation of individual handicraft industries is a bit slow.At the meeting of the provincial and municipal Party committee secretaries in January this year, I said it was a bit slow.Before the end of 1955, only 2 million people had been organized.In the first two months of this year, we have developed 3 million people, and this year can basically be completed, which is very good.The total output value of the handicraft industry, which you envisage will increase by an average of 10.9% per year during the three five-year plans, seems a little low.The first five-year plan was set low[2], and it suffered a bit of a loss, so it is not necessary to change it now, and you must master it in your work.

(2) The scale of handicraft cooperatives is generally about 100 people, some may be hundreds of people, and some may be dozens of people. (3) Organize iron and wood cooperatives to serve agricultural production and go to the countryside to repair farm tools. This is a good idea, and the farmers will definitely welcome it.Chinese handicrafts have been doing this for thousands of years.After the cooperatives are organized and the technology is improved, they can better serve the farmers. (4) You said that during the upsurge of handicraft industry transformation, the repair and service industries concentrated production, and too many sites were withdrawn, which dissatisfied the masses.This is terrible! What should we do now? "The general trend of the world, long-term division must be combined, and long-term unity must be divided." [3]

(5) Compared with semi-mechanized and mechanized production, the labor productivity of handicraft production has a difference of more than 30 times between the highest and the lowest.The average output value per person per year is 20,000 to 30,000 yuan for state-owned modern industries, 5,000 yuan for semi-mechanized and mechanized cooperatives, 2,000 yuan for large cooperatives with more than 100 employees, 1,500 yuan for small cooperatives, and 1,500 yuan for individual handicrafts. It is 800 to 900 yuan.A comparison of labor productivity makes it clear: if the handicraft industry is to develop in the direction of semi-mechanization and mechanization, labor productivity must be increased.

(6) All walks of life in the handicraft industry do good deeds.Food, clothing, and use are available.There are also arts and crafts, such as cloisonne, and the grapes of "Grape Chang Wu Maiden" [4].There are also roast ducks that can be exported technically.In some service industries, wandering around the village, tinkering, and Aunt Wang repairing tanks, these people have traveled to many places and have a lot of knowledge.There are more than 6,000 kinds of products in Dongxiao City, Beijing[5]. Remind you, there are many good things in the handicraft industry, don't get rid of them.Don't get rid of Wang Mazi and Zhang Xiaoquan's knives and scissors for ten thousand years.The good things of our nation, which have been destroyed, must be restored, and they must be made better.

(7) There are good ways to improve the level of arts and crafts and protect old folk artists, so hurry up and do it faster.You yourself set up institutions, open colleges, call conferences.Yang Shihui[6] is engaged in ivory carving, in fact he is a very good artist.He sat at the same table with me and ate, looked at me, and could make a statue of me.I have been watching people for a few days, and I am afraid I can't even draw them. (8) When the state allocates materials to cooperatives, the price must be reasonable, and the price cannot be set according to the state allocation price.Cooperatives are different from state enterprises, and there is a difference between socialist collective ownership and socialist ownership by the whole people.At the beginning of the cooperative, the economic foundation was not strong and needed state help.The state allocates the replaced old machines and the surplus machines and factory buildings after the public-private joint venture to the cooperatives at a low price, which is very good. "If you want to take it, you must first give it" [7].When the foundation of cooperatives is strong, the state will collect more taxes and increase the price of raw materials.At that time, cooperatives were collectively owned in form, but in fact they became owned by the whole people.

The state should help cooperatives semi-mechanized and mechanized, and the cooperatives themselves should strive to develop semi-mechanized and mechanized.The faster the rate of mechanization, the shorter the lifespan of your handicraft co-operatives.The smaller your "country" is, the easier our business will be.You try to mechanize faster and give more to the country. (9) The output value of the handicraft industry accounts for a quarter of the total industrial output value of the country. Why is its supply, production and marketing not included in the national plan? The handicraft industry is so large that it should be included in the national plan.

(10) Some local Party committees are busy, and the handicraft industry cannot join the queue, which is not good.Why are some cadres reluctant to do handicraft work? I really want to do such a thing, it is very important! (11) You must select outstanding examples from among the more than 60,000 handicraft cooperatives and organizations, and compile typical materials.All regions and all walks of life must have them; good and bad, large and small, centralized and scattered, semi-mechanized and mechanized.Publish a book, like "The Socialist Upsurge in Rural China" [8]. Published based on the transcript of the conversation kept by the Central Archives.

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is a part of Mao Zedong's talk when the relevant departments of the State Council reported on the work of the handicraft industry. [2] The first five-year plan stipulates that the total output value of the handicraft industry will increase by an average of 9.9% per year. [3] See the first chapter. [4] Refers to the five women of Chang’s family, a Beijing craftsman famous for blowing glass grapes. [5] Dongxiao City, Beijing Secondhand Market. [6] Yang Shihui (1911-1987), a native of Beijing, an ivory carving artist.Served as vice chairman of China Arts and Crafts Society.

[7] See "Laozi Thirty-Six Chapters", the original text is: "If you want to take it away, you must give it to you".See also "Warring States Policy · Wei Policy", the original text is: "If you want to take it, you must give it to you." [8] "The Socialist Upsurge in Rural China", edited by Mao Zedong in 1955.This book contains a total of 176 articles reflecting the situation of agricultural cooperation in various places. Mao Zedong wrote a commentary for 104 of them and a preface for the whole book.The book was published by People's Publishing House in January 1956.