Chapter 40 On the Rectification Movement and Cadres' Participation in Labor

(April 27, 1957) Provincial (municipal) party committees, autonomous region party committees, central ministries and party groups: Public discussions on the important issue of the correct handling of contradictions among the people are now taking place nationwide, and this discussion may extend for several months.The party's rectification instructions[1] can be issued within a few days, which is to correctly handle the contradictions among the people as the theme, to promote the correct ideological style, and to correct the wrong ideological style of subjectivism, bureaucracy, and sectarianism.Another notice[2] of the party can also be issued within a few days. This notice advocates that the main party and government cadres at the county, district, and township levels, who are able to work, spend part of the year going to the fields to participate in production and do a small amount of physical labor.The main cadres of the party, government and army at all levels above the county level (not ordinary cadres), who are able to work, should also do the same. They spend part of each year going to the fields, factories, mines, construction sites, or other places to work together with workers and peasants. Do as little physical work as you can possibly do (even if it's a little bit).In this way, the party and the masses will become one, and subjectivism, bureaucracy, and lordship can be greatly reduced and a new look can be seen.In addition, please pay attention to the fact that the Party has seven relations with (1) workers, (2) farmers, (3) students, (4) PLA soldiers, (5) intellectuals, (6) democratic parties, (7) ethnic minorities, etc. Various specific contradictions that exist between the parties, convene meetings separately, analyze and study them, so that they can know what they know, from blind to conscious, so as to persuade cadres and the masses on a basis.I hereby send you a piece of material [3] from the Hubei Provincial Party Committee on internal contradictions among the rural people for your reference.Please forward this document and the April 19 telegram[4] to the party committees at the county level, army regiments, urban factories and schools.

central April 27, 1957 Published according to Mao Zedong's manuscript. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Refers to the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on April 27, 1957 regarding the rectification movement.This instruction was published in the "People's Daily" on May 1 of the same year. [2] Refers to the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on May 10, 1957 concerning the participation of leaders at all levels in physical labor.This instruction was published in the "People's Daily" on May 15 of the same year.

[3] Refers to the report published by Xinhua News Agency on April 23, 1957 on the internal contradictions among rural people in Hubei Province.According to the report, the current internal conflicts among the people in rural areas are mainly: 1. Undemocratic leadership, non-disclosure of finances, and unreasonable distribution in agricultural cooperatives have caused dissatisfaction among the masses.2. Some cadres mishandled superstitious activities and religious issues among the people, which caused disturbances among farmers.3. Disputes of interest between the state and local people over the occupation of fishing grounds, livestock farms, forest farms, tea farms, small mines, and farmland.Fourth, local cadres did not get along well with demobilized soldiers, and disputes arose.5. The political climate in urban middle schools is weak and the school spirit and discipline are not correct, which has caused serious dissatisfaction among teachers, students and parents of students against the government and school leaders.Some school leaders have severe bureaucracy and sectarianism, causing riots among students.Sixth, cadres are superior and divorced from the masses, which has deepened the contradiction between the masses and the leaders.

[4] Refers to the Instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on April 19, 1957 on Inspecting the Discussion and Implementation of Correctly Handling Contradictions Among the People, and pages 292-293 of this volume, "Correctly Handling Contradictions Among the People within a Deadline" Discussion of Issues and Implementation Reporting Central".