Chapter 50 Whole country learning Dazhai 1965

Journalist: “You want to ‘learn from Dazhai,’ is Dazhai model true?

Mao: “It’s fake, it was fabricated. Dazhai created its own terraced fields. In 1963, a heavy rainstorm and flood destroyed everything, which was a punishment from nature for the foolish destruction of the mountain slopes’ vegetation. Under the call of ‘Man can conquer nature,’ the Shanxi Provincial Committee organized local armed forces, workers from various enterprises, bringing along provisions, tents, machinery, cement, sand, and gravel, to volunteer and work in Dazhai commune. They repaired the terraced fields, created small plains, built new villages for the commune members, constructed mountain reservoirs, and employed engineering troops with excavators and cranes to repair roads and construct reservoirs, irrigation channels, terraced fields, and small plains. They also used large trucks to transport materials. The military and civilians labored together for two years, and in 1965, Dazhai became a model of self-reliance. It was reported to the State Council, and Zhou Enlai, after seeing the report, sent journalists to interview and write extensive reports. He also flew in a helicopter with Li Xiannian to inspect the construction, including the terraced fields. Of course, he could see that such a massive project could not be accomplished solely by the manpower and resources of a single commune. Regardless of its authenticity, everyone was pleased with the exemplary result. I realized that despite the failure of the Great Leap Forward and the three years of famine and bankruptcy, having such a model was highly desirable. I requested Zhou to emphasize political ideology, focus on class struggle, and raise the three red banners.”

Journalist: “You know it is a fake typical also do not care but still promote in the whole country?”

Mao: “Yes, I then issued a national call for ‘agriculture to learn from Dazhai,’ not only a typical example of building terraced fields, but also a typical example of grasping the class struggle and opening the way for a large number of big fights, Dazhai is the red flag of the rural areas to continue the revolution, daily criticism, a horror. The 29 provinces and cities of the country organized cadres at the provincial, local, county and community levels in batches to form the ‘Dazhai Learning Mission’ to learn from Dazhai and apply Mao Zedong Thought, grasp the class struggle, fight against the bad guys and be self-reliant, and visit Dazhai every day to learn from tens of thousands of people. Zhou Enlai himself was the head of the ‘National Leading Group for Learning from Dazhai,’ and Dazhai people also went out to Beijing, Shanghai and other large and medium-sized cities to give reports.

In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, Dazhai pioneered the ‘early reporting and late briefing’ ritual of idolizing leaders, with a routine of morning and evening worship every day throughout the year. This continued until September 1971 when Lin Biao, the designated successor, died in a plane crash, and the practice ceased. The people of Dazhai claim that the worship ritual was actually brought in by the Red Guards from Beijing and was not their invention. The Red Guards, on the other hand, say that Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng, and others approached the leaders of the Red Guards multiple times, urging them to develop a set of worship rituals, including chants and actions, to be promoted nationwide. Dazhai gained a significant reputation, and its influence quickly spread not only throughout China but also to other countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where some leftist movements also adopted similar practices.”

Journalist: “The public opinion of Dazhai on class struggle was very influential?”

Mao: “Yes, Chen Yonggui said, ‘Whenever there is any movement, we, the poor peasants, will be the first to take action and kill the richs, the landlords, the anti-partys, the bad people, the rightists and their children. In 1966, Daxing County next to Beijing killed more than 300 people and their children, the youngest being less than one year old, in six days. Daxing murder spread to Daoxian County in Hunan Province, killing 4,500 people in 2 months.”

Journalist: “The whole country learned from Dazhai, and under your call, the countryside made another great leap forward, right?”

Mao: “Yes, from 1965 onwards, the countryside was filled with hillsides, terraced fields and small plains, just like the Great Leap Forward in 1958, when trees were blown off the hilly slopes, shrubs were burned and turf was shoveled out to make ‘Dazhai fields.’ Kunming 500 miles Dianchi, Dali 400 miles Erhai, Hunan 800 miles Dongting, Jiangxi 500 miles Poyang Lake, Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East Sea, South China Sea, hundreds of thousands of acres of ‘good fields’ were reclaimed to me. This time, the water storage of Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake and Dianchi has been reduced by 1/3.”

Journalist: “What are the consequences of destroying the environment like this?”

Mao: “As a result, several heavy rainstorms or typhoons occurred during the summer and autumn seasons, causing mudslides that devastated the “Dazhai terraced fields” and the “Xiaoping Plain.” The “Wanqing Dazhai fields” along the lakefront and seashore were also swept away, and Dazhai had to rebuild its fields every year while facing continuous erosion from mudslides. The extensive destruction of vegetation by mudslides and the desertification of over 20 million acres of farmland nationwide each year have become inevitable. It has become necessary to return land to lakes, forests, and grasslands, following the example of Dazhai. The country’s constant turmoil and dust storms, mimicking the practices of Dazhai, have resulted in environmental damage and retribution from nature.”

Journalist: “You single-handedly Chen Yonggui from the brigade party secretary to Vice Premier of the State Council, he is a capable person?”

Mao: “No. Chen Yonggui was originally a “three-sided person,’ the Japanese, the Kuomintang, the Communist Party he was involved in, as a traitor maintenance chairman, as a national army security team leader, private also to the Communist army to pass some information, three sides of the light, until the civil war in 1948 became a final decision, he defected to the revolution and joined the Communist Party.”

Journalist: “For such a three-faced people, you also reuse?”

Mao: “I only use people who are loyal to me, can be used for me, what secret agents, traitors do not matter, Jiang Qing I already know that she was arrested for defection, Zhang Chunqiao has long joined the secret service organization Renaissance Society, I still reuse trust them. If you are not loyal to me, I want to get rid of him, not a spy also to beat into a spy, not a traitor also to beat into a traitor. Chen Yonggui was loyal to me, I was useful, in 1969 to the Central Committee, in 1973 to the Politburo, Vice Premier of the State Council, in charge of the national agriculture, but he did not compete, in 1975 to lead the agricultural delegation to Mexico, in the hotel and Dazhai iron girl play sex games, the action is too big, alarmed the hotel apparatus, was automatically filmed on video, diplomatic scandal lost national character.

Journalist: “Chen Yonggui did not end well?”

Mao: “After my death, Deng Xiaoping handled the situation indifferently. In 1980, Chen Yonggui resigned as Vice Premier and returned to his hometown. In 1983, he became an advisor at the Beijing Eastern Suburb Farm. He passed away peacefully in Beijing in 1986 at the age of 72.”