--1978 New Year's Day editorial by "Renmin Ribao." "Hongqi" and "Jiefangjun Bao"

IN the year 1977, all kinds of people round the world, including some of our friends and comrades as well as our enemies, kept an eye on China, wondering where the country was going after losing her great leader and teacher Chairman Mao Tsetung and her respected and beloved Premier Chou En-lai and Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Chu Teh and after smashing the "gang of four."

What did they see? They saw the Party Central Committee headed by the wise leader Chairman Hua hold aloft the great banner of Chairman Mao and the 800 million Chinese people rally closely round the successor chosen by Chairman Mao. They saw Chairman Hua lead us in grasping the key link of class struggle and bringing about great order across the land, resulting in stability and unity throughout the country and a vigorous development in production and construction. They saw that with the elimination of the "four pests," China's beautiful land became even more resplendent and the Chinese revolution went forging ahead along the course charted by Chairman Mao!

Our struggle with the "gang of four" was another struggle between two possible destinies for China. Would there be a bright China or a dark China? The great decisive victory of October 1976 already gave the answer. But the development of the political and economic situation throughout the country was so splendid and so fast that it exceeded our expectations.

Initial Success of Strategic Decision

At the central working conference in March 1977, Chairman Hua proposed that initial success should be won in one year and marked success in three years in implementing the strategic decision of grasping the key link of class struggle and bringing about great order across the land. The year 1977 is now over and initial success has indeed been won in implementing the strategic decision. Following are the major indications:

One. The movement to expose and criticize the "gang of four" has advanced rapidly and healthily, the rights and wrongs concerning the line which were for a long time confused by the "gang of four" have been basically clarified, and Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line can now be implemented quite smoothly on all fronts. After smashing the "gang of four," Chairman Hua and the Party Central Committee have time and again stressed the great significance of holding high and safeguarding the banner of Chairman Mao, made public a series of Chairman Mao's directives criticizing the "gang of four" and published Volume V of the Selected Works of Mao Tsetung, thus providing the cadres and masses with a powerful ideological weapon to master Mao Tsetung Thought comprehensively and accurately, to deepen the exposure and criticism of the "gang of four" and to carry on socialist revolution and construction. The central working conference in March, the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Party Central Committee in July and particularly the 11th Party Congress achieved unity of thinking throughout the Party, made clear the orientation and rallied the whole Party still more closely round the Party Central Committee. This has enabled our struggle to overcome all forms of interference and advance triumphantly under the guidance of Mao Tsetung Thought.

Two. As far as the great majority of localities and departments are concerned, investigation of the individuals involved in and the incidents connected with the conspiracy of the "gang of four" to usurp Party and state power has in the main been completed and the class alignment has in the main become clear. The bourgeois factional setup of the "gang of four" and their followers have been dealt a crushing blow. The Party and people have taken back that portion of power which was usurped by them and have solved the problems of those departments and localities which were once under their tight control or seriously undermined by them. In a number of provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions as well as some departments under the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the leading bodies have been readjusted and strengthened.

Three. The oppressive situation in which "ten thousand horses stand mute" under the tyranny of the "gang of four" has ended, and the whole Party, the whole army and the people of the whole country have become invigorated. The Party's fine tradition and style of work of seeking truth from facts and following the mass line are being revived and carried forward. Proletarian democratic centralism is being carried out in a better way. People's minds are at ease and lively. The political situation envisaged by Chairman Mao -a political situation in which we have both centralism and democracy, both discipline and freedom, both unity of will and personal ease of mind and liveliness-is taking shape.

Four. Forceful blows have been dealt at disrupters aided and abetted by the "gang of four" - smash-and-grabbers, criminals seriously undermining public security and landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries and bad elements who hated socialism and launched vengeful counterattacks. Public order has been greatly improved to the satisfaction of the people. This is especially true in those places which suffered the most.

Five. The conspiracy of the "gang of four" to oppose and disrupt the army and usurp its leadership has been exposed and criticized by commanders and fighters throughout the army. The army has conducted education in ideology and the Party line through a discussion of "ten shoulds or shouldn'ts" [注1]> to eliminate the pernicious influence of the "gang of four," correct unhealthy tendencies and restore and carry forward the spirit of the "Kutien Meeting." The Party's leadership over the army has been greatly strengthened. The movements to learn from Lei Feng and from the "Hard-Boned 6th Company" and military training are going full steam ahead.

Six. An encouraging new situation has appeared in the scientific, educational and cultural, fields where the interference and sabotage by the "gang of four" were serious. Criticism of the "two estimates" has freed the intellectuals from mental shackles and fired them with greater enthusiasm for socialism. They are working hard to catch up with and surpass advanced world levels and enrich socialist culture, education and science. The young people have shown unprecedented interest in acquiring general and scientific knowledge for the sake of the revolution. A new high tide in the development of socialist culture is in the offing.

Seven. The situation in the national economy has taken a turn for the better after a long period of stagnation or even back-sliding, which resulted from interference and sabotage by the "gang of four." The mass movements to learn from Taching in industry and from Tachai in agriculture are developing vigorously. Despite serious natural adversities, we have reaped a fairly good grain harvest, increased the output of cotton, and made progress in forestry, animal husbandry, side-line production and fishery. Farmland capital construction is being carried out on a big scale. Industrial production, which went up step by step in an all-round way, has rapidly reached or surpassed previous records. This started with the improvement in railway transportation. Coal production did well too. The output of petroleum rose steadily and that of chemical fertilizer soared. The output of iron and steel came up in the third and fourth quarters with a marked increase in daily output. The increase in total industrial output value is estimated at 14 per cent, far exceeding the 8 per cent target planned at the beginning of 1977. On the commercial front, both purchasing and marketing are brisk. There has been a marked increase in financial income which, however, failed to meet state plans for several years running. Revenue and expenditure are balanced, with a small surplus. Sixty per cent of China's wage earners are getting more pay through wage increases made possible by the development of production. The year 1977 was truly a major turning point for China's national economy; it was a new starting point for a steady rise after stagnation, fluctuation and back-sliding.

Eight. The disastrous effects on various fields of work caused by the "gang of four" through their frenzied sabotage of the Party's policies towards cadres, intellectuals and minority nationalities are being eliminated step by step. The split caused by the gang in some areas and organizations has been cemented and the chaos overcome. Chairman Mao's principle of overall consideration and all-round arrangement is being carried out systematically. The unification of our country, the unity of our people and the unity of our various nationalities have been consolidated and strengthened. Our united front led by the working class, based on the worker-peasant alliance and including patriotic democratic parties, patriotic personages, compatriots in Taiwan, compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao and overseas Chinese is growing in strength and scope.

In foreign affairs, we have firmly adhered to Chairman Mao's strategic concept differentiating the three worlds and carried out his line, principles and policies. We firmly support the world's people in their just struggle against imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, firmly support the people of various countries in opposing the superpowers' policies of aggression and war, and firmly support all revolutionary and progressive causes. Our country enjoys ever-growing international prestige and we have friends all over the world.

and running the country well. From their own experience the people of China have come to understand more and more deeply that socialist revolution and socialist construction in China have truly entered a new period of development, and that the Party Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua deserves to be called the vigorous fighting command of the proletariat which holds aloft the great banner of Chairman Mao. The whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities throughout the country are delighted to have such a wise leader and supreme commander as Chairman Hua. When drinking the water think of its source. Therefore we all the more cherish the memory of our great leader and teacher Chairman Mao who showed great foresight in choosing such an excellent successor for us. And it is invincible Mao Tsetung Thought that has guided us to advance from victory to victory.

Tasks for 1978

For the achievement of marked success in three years in grasping the key link of class struggle and bringing about great order across the land, 1978 counts as an important year. In the new year, the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities throughout the country should continue to hold aloft the great banner of Chairman Mao, follow the line of the 11th Party Congress, fight in unity and, taking the exposure and criticism of the "gang of four" as the key link, deepen the mass movements to learn from Taching in industry and from Tachai in agriculture, vigorously criticize capitalism and revisionism, go all out to build socialism and strive to fulfil the fighting tasks laid down by the llth Party Congress; we should adhere to Chairman Mao's strategic concept differentiating the three worlds and abide by his revolutionary line in foreign affairs, so as to contribute to the development of the international situation in a direction favourable to the people of China and the world.

and running the country well. In the new year, we should continue to keep a firm hold on the key link of exposing and criticizing the "gang of four" and do a good job of it. Our struggle against the "gang of four" is a decisive battle of historic importance. Both in depth and breadth it is a battle of rare occurrence in the history of our Party. The victories we have won in this battle have tremendously changed the balance of class forces in our country in favour of the proletariat and brought profound changes to the political, economic, military and cultural spheres. The reason underlying our initial success in the first year is that we have fought well in this battle to expose and criticize the "gang of four"; our fundamental guarantee for winning marked success in three years also lies in continuing to fight the battle well. It should be noted that the development of the movement is unbalanced. In a few areas and departments, the movement started a bit late, progress was not quite satisfactory and investigation proceeded rather slowly. The work in these places should be stepped up according to the demands of the 11th Party Congress and under the unified leadership of the Party committees. In this struggle we must take a firm, clear-cut stand and not relent towards the "gang of four" and their followers and, at the same time, must pay due attention to the Party's policies. This is a principle that combines firmness with prudence and thoroughgoing investigation with stabilization of the overall situation, a principle that will ensure complete success in carrying the investigation through to the end. We must conscientiously implement the policies formulated at the llth Party Congress, strictly distinguish between the two different types of contradictions, do a really good job of helping more people by educating them and narrowing the target of attack, and must not mistake contradictions among the people for contradictions between ourselves and the enemy. Anyone who can be won over through education should not be pushed aside. Resolute blows should be aimed at the "gang of four" and the handful of their sworn followers who are guilty of serious crimes and unwilling to repent. Leadership should be strengthened particularly in those units which suffered seriously from interference by the "gang of four" Attention should be paid to the few units where problems are being covered up and the masses repressed; measures should be adopted to deal with the situation.

and to fight resolutely for victory in the third campaign [注2]> for exposing and criticizing the "gang of four." This is a great campaign aimed at further distinguishing right from wrong, setting to rights things which were thrown into disorder by the gang and emancipating the mind, a great campaign to ensure complete victory in the struggle to expose and criticize the "gang of four." The gang is a bunch of political swindlers who decked themselves out in Marxism-Leninism. They frenziedly opposed Mao Tsetung Thought, wantonly distorted, tampered with and even forged Chairman Mao's directives. Wielding the power they had usurped, they tried in a thousand and one ways to inculcate slavishness and hoodwink the people, permitting them only to parrot what the gang had said and forbidding any form of dissent. The "gang of four" cooked up a counter-revolutionary political programme which equated veteran cadres with "democrats" and "democrats" with "capitalist-roaders" and raised the counter-revolutionary slogan of "going against the way things were done in the 17 years prior to the Cultural Revolution." With this they reversed the relationship of the people to the enemy, confused right and wrong, and attacked Chairman Mao's revolutionary line as "revisionist" and socialist principles and policies as "capitalist." Clearly the modernization of agriculture, industry, national defence and science and technology is a grand goal set forth by Premier Chou in accordance with Chairman Mao's directives, yet the "gang of four" vilified it as "capitalist restoration"; "to each according to his work," which is clearly a socialist principle, was branded by the gang as "revisionist"; studying techniques for the sake of the revolution, a sure indication of the effort to become both red and expert, was attacked by the gang as "the road of bourgeois specialists." Whoever disagreed with the gang's nonsense would be condemned as trying to bring about "restoration" and "retrogression," having "relapses" or being "counter-revolutionaries." Even to this day these accusations remain trammels shackling some comrades' minds and make them nervous. We should earnestly study works by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin and Chairman Mao's works, comprehend and grasp Mao Tsetung Thought comprehensively and accurately as a system and, keeping a firm hold on the gang's counter-revolutionary political programme, strip them of their "Leftist" guises, bare the ultra-Right essence of their counterrevolutionary revisionist line and all its manifestations, and conduct criticism from the theoretical plane of philosophy, political economy and scientific socialism, so as to rectify what the gang turned upside down with regard to questions of right and wrong in line, ideology and theory. At the same time we must earnestly and realistically sum up experience, both positive and negative, gained in the past 28 years, make clear the specific line, principles and policies guiding each field of work and work out relevant rules, regulations and methods. Only in this way can we smash the mental shackles imposed on us by the "gang of four," greatly emancipate our minds, sweep away all interference, achieve unity in thinking and action, and make determined, all-out efforts to build socialism, quicken the pace of construction and push forward the national economy.

Speed Up Economic Construction

The speed of construction is not just an economic question, it is a serious political question. Why do we say the socialist system is superior? In the final analysis, it is because the socialist system can create higher labour productivity and make the national economy develop faster than capitalism. Why do we say the theory, line, policy and ideology of the "gang of four," the media under their control and their bourgeois factional setup constitute an ultra-reactionary and rotten-to-the-core superstructure? At root, it is because this superstructure stands against the dictatorship of the proletariat, undermines the socialist economic base and impedes the development of the productive forces. In just a little over a year since the "gang of four" was smashed, we have already made a big stride forward. The question at present is that we must advance at high speed instead of resting content with what we have achieved. This is dictated by the need for the proletariat to vanquish the bourgeoisie and for socialism to defeat capitalism in the historical period of socialism, the need to strengthen the worker-peasant alliance on a new basis, to consolidate the dictatorship of the proletariat and steadily raise the people's standard of living, the need to build a powerful national defence, defend our socialist motherland and prepare for the liberation of our sacred territory Taiwan Province, and the need to attain the grand goal of four modernizations before the end of this century. In a word, quickening the pace of economic construction is dictated by the development of international and domestic class struggles; it is a glorious mission history has entrusted to us. Party committees at all levels must consider the question of speed and plan their work in the revolutionary spirit of seizing the day and seizing the hour, make it known among the masses, and mobilize them to con- tribute their talents and ability to the speedy development of the national economy.

A higher speed is not only necessary but possible. We are fully confident of our ability to accelerate the development of our national economy because we have Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line and the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua, we have the superior socialist system and hundreds of millions of industrious, courageous and ingenious workers, peasants and intellectuals who have heightened their consciousness through education by positive and negative examples during the Great Cultural Revolution and in the 11th two-line struggle in particular, and we have rich natural resources and the material foundation built up in the past 28 years. A higher speed in 1978 will make things easier in 1979. This will be vital to our efforts to "achieve marked success in three years." In the new year, the whole Party must vigorously grasp agriculture, the foundation of the national economy, and make it a success. All trades and professions must pay attention to agriculture, support it and do everything to further its development. A faster growth of agriculture is a prerequisite for a faster growth of industry and the national economy as a whole. In industry, particular attention must be paid to electricity, fuel and transportation. With these "precursor departments" running in the van, the industries producing iron and steel and raw and semi-finished materials will follow up, so that the rate of growth can be greatly increased even on the basis of the existing industrial capacity alone and there will be a new and all-round leap forward in industry and the national economy as a whole. High speed involves not only quantity, but quality and cost. Our aim is to turn out more and better products at minimum cost, that is, to achieve greater, faster, better and more economical results in fulfilling the state plan in an all-round way.

In 1978, China will convene the Fifth National People's Congress, the first session of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a national science conference. These will be major events in the political and cultural life of the Chinese people. The whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities in our country must fight in unity and greet these important events with new and outstanding successes in the three great revolutionary movements of class struggle, the struggle for production and scientific experiment.

The tasks ahead are great and arduous. It is crucial to strengthen Party leadership. All areas and departments must set up leading bodies which firmly adhere to Chairman Mao's revolutionary line and policies, conform to his five requirements for successors in the revolutionary cause and the principle of the combination of the old, middle-aged and young, and enjoy the confidence and support of the masses.With such leading bodies, as Chairman Hua has said, the masses will rejoice and support them and feel encouraged as soon as the members are announced. We must win over all people who can be won over, unite with all people who can be united, mobilize all positive factors and turn negative factors into positive ones to serve the great cause of building socialism. In this way we will certainly be able to overcome all difficulties, vanquish all enemies and work wonders.

The ice has been broken; the road is open. The revolutionary cause of the proletariat Chairman Mao pioneered in China must triumph and surely can triumph. A bright China surely can make a greater contribution to humanity.

(No.1, 1978)