Mao Zedong’s Preliminary Blueprint for Socialist Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Its Historical Lessons

Mao Zedong was the great founder of China’s socialist modernization cause. Agricultural and rural modernization is an important component of China’s socialist modernization. The blueprint and guidance Mao Zedong provided for advancing the socialist modernization of China’s agriculture and rural areas have had a far-reaching impact. One important document in this regard is *The Socialist Upsurge in China’s Countryside* (hereinafter referred to as *The Upsurge*). *The Upsurge* is a compilation of reports and newsletters reflecting the situation of the rural socialist cooperative movement, completed in editing at the end of 1955 and published in early 1956. On the basis of careful selection and in-depth revision, Mao Zedong wrote targeted editorial notes for most of the articles. In the editorial notes of *The Upsurge*, Mao Zedong pointed out the fundamental direction of taking the socialist cooperative path to realize China’s agricultural and rural modernization, made a preliminary blueprint for the grand vision of agricultural and rural modernization, extracted and elucidated the laws of contradictory movement in this process from a philosophical height, and made forward-looking plans and predictions for the broad prospects of socialist agricultural and rural modernization. On the 70th anniversary of the compilation and publication of *The Upsurge*, it is necessary to seriously reread and rethink this weighty work, especially the editorial notes written by Mao Zedong, to compare them with the historical trajectory and great achievements of China’s agricultural and rural modernization over the past 70 years, and to deeply explore Mao Zedong’s thought on agricultural and rural modernization construction in the New Era.

毛泽东是中国社会主义现代化建设事业的伟大奠基者。农业农村现代化是中国社会主义现代化的一个重要组成部分。毛泽东为推进中国农业农村的社会主义现代化作出的擘画和指导，产生了深远影响。其中一个重要文献是《中国农村的社会主义高潮》（以下简称《高潮》）。《高潮》是一部反映农村社会主义合作化运动情况的报告和通讯汇编，1955年底编辑完成，1956年初出版。毛泽东在精心挑选、深入修改的基础上，在大部分文章篇头撰写了有针对性的按语。在《高潮》按语中，毛泽东指明了走社会主义合作化道路来实现中国农业农村现代化的根本方向，对农业农村现代化的宏伟蓝图进行了初步擘画，从哲学高度提炼阐释这一进程中的矛盾运动规律，对社会主义农业农村现代化的广阔前景作出了富有前瞻性的规划和预言。在《高潮》编写出版70周年之际，有必要认真重读、重思这部厚重的著作特别是毛泽东所撰写的按语，对照70年来中国农业农村现代化的历史轨迹与伟大成就，在新时代深入发掘毛泽东的农业农村现代化建设思想。

I. The Socialist Cooperative Path and the Fundamental Direction of China’s Agricultural and Rural Modernization

一、社会主义合作化道路与中国农业农村现代化的根本方向

The思考和探索 of the path of agricultural and rural modernization construction is an important part of Mao Zedong’s thought. In a populous agricultural country, one of the basic tasks of modernization is to realize agricultural and rural modernization. With a high degree of theoretical consciousness and strategic foresight, Mao Zedong clearly defined agricultural and rural modernization as an important component of China’s modernization. At the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the CPC was held in March 1949 in Xibaipo, Hebei Province. It laid out the Party’s policy for shifting the focus of work from the countryside to the city and for the transition from new-democratic revolution to socialist construction after the founding of the People’s Republic. held on the eve of the founding of New China, Mao Zedong not only clarified the task of modernization but also divided the process of the Chinese revolution into two specific steps. The first step was to establish a peasant land ownership system of “land to the tiller” through the new-democratic revolution. The second step was to further carry out the socialist revolution, carry out socialist transformation of agriculture, and realize modernization through socialist collectivization. “The scattered, individual agricultural and handicraft economies, which account for 90 percent of the total value of the national economy, can and must be led cautiously, step by step, yet actively toward the direction of modernization and collectivization; the view of letting them drift is wrong.” [2]2 Mao Zedong, “Report to the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,” March 5, 1949.

对农业农村现代化建设道路的思考和探索是毛泽东思想的重要内容。在一个人口众多的农业国，现代化的一个基本任务是实现农业农村现代化。毛泽东以高度的理论自觉和战略远见，明确将农业农村现代化作为中国现代化的重要内容。在新中国成立前夕召开的党的七届二中全会上，毛泽东不仅明确了现代化的任务，而且就中国革命的进程划分了具体的两个步骤。第一步是通过新民主主义革命，建立“耕者有其田”的农民土地所有制。第二步则是进一步通过社会主义革命，对农业进行社会主义改造，通过社会主义的集体化实现现代化。“占国民经济总产值百分之九十的分散的个体的农业经济和手工业经济，是可能和必须谨慎地、逐步地而又积极地引导它们向着现代化和集体化的方向发展的，任其自流的观点是错误的。”

Taking the socialist path of agricultural and rural modernization construction is a basic viewpoint of Marxist theory and a clear choice made by the Chinese Communists after long revolutionary exploration. The socialist transformation of agriculture was the objective result and inherent requirement of the economic development of new-democratic society, reflecting historical inevitability. After the victory of the new-democratic revolution, the peasant land ownership system established by distributing land according to the principle of “land to the tiller” had its historical rationality and played a certain role in increasing production. However, under the conditions of the country starting the First Five-Year Plan [3]3 The First Five-Year Plan (1953–1957) was China’s first comprehensive national economic development plan, focusing on heavy industry and laying the foundation for socialist industrialization. construction and implementing large-scale socialist industrialization, its constraining effect on production had become increasingly apparent.

走社会主义的农业农村现代化建设道路，是马克思主义理论的基本观点，也是中国共产党人经过长期革命探索作出的明确选择。对农业进行社会主义改造，是新民主主义社会经济发展的客观结果和内在要求，反映了历史的必然性。新民主主义革命胜利后，按照“耕者有其田”原则分田建立的农民土地所有制，有其历史的合理性并发挥了一定的增产作用。但在国家开始进行“一五”建设、大规模推行社会主义工业化的条件下，其对生产的束缚作用已经越来越明显地暴露出来。

Specifically, on the one hand, the individual private ownership economy in new-democratic society could not be maintained for long. Due to the fragility and instability of small-scale production, not long after the land reform in New China, some individual peasants (especially poor peasants and lower-middle peasants) who had received land in the land reform but lacked other means of production had already begun to pawn and sell their land, leading to new polarization. On the other hand, New China’s economic construction objectively required breaking through the constraints of small-scale production. As for agriculture, peasants hoped to better build water conservancy projects, resist natural disasters, and adopt agricultural machinery and other new technologies by taking the path of mutual aid and cooperation. As for industry, the development of industrialization both created greater demand for agricultural products and developed the capacity to support agricultural technological transformation, which could promote large-scale and mechanized agricultural production. These factors objectively pushed individual agriculture toward the cooperative path.

具体而言，一方面，新民主主义社会中的个体私有制经济不可能长久保持。由于小生产的脆弱性和不稳定性，新中国土改后不久，一些在土改中分到了土地但是缺少其他生产资料的个体农民（特别是贫农和下中农），就已经出现了典让和出卖土地的情形，产生了新的两极分化。另一方面，新中国的经济建设从客观上要求突破小生产的束缚。就农业而言，农民希望通过走互助合作道路来更好地兴修水利，抗御自然灾害，采用农业机械和其他新技术。就工业而言，工业化的发展既产生了对农产品更大的需求，也发展了支援农业技术改造的能力，可以促进农业的规模化机械化生产。这些因素都在客观上促进个体农业向合作化方向发展。

After the founding of New China, the CPC, conforming to the objective requirements of economic and social development, lost no time in leading the socialist transformation of agriculture and actively promoted the agricultural cooperative movement. Following Mao Zedong’s suggestion, the CPC put forward the general line for the transition period [4]4 The general line for the transition period, formally adopted in 1953, called for the simultaneous development of socialist industrialization and the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce.. Among its components, the socialist transformation of agriculture meant realizing the cooperativization of individual peasants. Mao Zedong pointed out: The issue of agricultural cooperativization concerns the entire socialist modernization, first and foremost the success or failure of socialist industrialization. “Socialist industrialization cannot be carried out in isolation from agricultural cooperativization.” [5]5 Mao Zedong, “On the Question of Agricultural Cooperativization,” July 31, 1955. If agricultural cooperativization could not be successfully achieved, “our cause of socialist industrialization would encounter tremendous difficulties, and we would be unable to complete socialist industrialization.” [6]6 Ibid. During its long revolutionary practice, the CPC had already accumulated considerable experience in leading peasants to take the path of mutual aid and cooperation to develop production and promote modernization. From the period of the new-democratic revolution to the early years of New China, there had already been many successful cases of leading peasants in mutual aid and cooperation. For example, the labor mutual-aid societies and plowing teams in Jiangxi, the exchange-labor teams in northern Shaanxi, and the mutual-aid groups in North China, East China, and Northeast China, among others. The cooperative path had already preliminarily demonstrated significant advantages over individual small-peasant economies in increasing production, further stimulating and attracting the enthusiasm of the broad masses of peasants to take the cooperative path and develop production.

中国共产党在新中国成立后，顺应经济社会发展客观要求，不失时机地领导了对农业的社会主义改造，积极推进农业的合作化运动。按照毛泽东的建议，中国共产党提出了过渡时期的总路线。其中对农业的社会主义改造，就是要实现个体农民的合作化。毛泽东指出：农业合作化问题关乎整个社会主义现代化，首先是关系社会主义工业化的成败，“社会主义工业化是不能离开农业合作化而孤立地去进行的”。如果不能顺利实现农业合作化，“我们的社会主义工业化事业就会遇到绝大的困难，我们就不可能完成社会主义工业化”。中国共产党在长期的革命实践中，已经积累了相当丰富的领导农民走互助合作道路来发展生产、推行现代化的经验。从新民主主义革命时期到新中国初期，已经有许多领导农民走互助合作的成功案例。例如，江西的劳动互助社和耕田队，陕北的变工队，华北、华东和东北等地的互助组，等等。合作化道路已经初步显现了相对于个体小农经济在增产方面的显著优势，进一步激发和吸引了广大农民走合作化道路、发展生产的积极性。

After the general line for the socialist transition period was proposed, the socialist agricultural cooperative movement achieved initial results but also gave rise to certain differences and debates. On the one hand, the broad masses of peasants, organized under the leadership of the Party, established cooperatives to develop production, preliminarily demonstrating the superiority of the socialist economy in developing production and promoting common prosperity. A large number of advanced peasants firmly committed to the socialist path had already emerged in the socialist cooperative movement, and much advanced experience in running socialist cooperatives well had been accumulated. By 1955, a large number of cases of promoting the socialist cooperative movement and building modern agriculture and rural areas with remarkable results had been accumulated in all provinces of the country (except Xinjiang and Tibet). On the other hand, there were certain differences and debates within the Party around the issue of cooperatives, and for a period, the Party’s leadership even lagged behind the enthusiasm of the masses, which was incompatible with the imminent upsurge in the agricultural cooperative movement. Some leaders at the departmental and local levels lacked confidence in promoting the cooperative movement, or became pessimistic after encountering setbacks, and therefore dared not actively lead the cooperative movement, or lacked appropriate methods to effectively advance cooperative work. Especially when some cooperatives encountered difficulties due to improper methods, some leaders simply dissolved them, cutting down cooperatives on a large scale, rather than actively finding ways to rectify, improve, and enhance them. This not only affected the development of the cooperative movement and violated the objective requirements of the development of productive forces, but also damaged and weakened the Party’s leadership over agricultural and rural work. An important task before Mao Zedong was: to lead the CPC to face the agricultural cooperative movement with a more active attitude, to discover, exchange, and promote advanced experience in the agricultural cooperative movement, and to drive a large number of cooperatives nationwide onto a track of steady and sound development. This can be seen from the fact that when Mao Zedong first compiled *The Upsurge*, he titled the book *How to Run Agricultural Production Cooperatives*.

在社会主义过渡时期总路线提出后，农业的社会主义合作化运动既取得了初步的成效，也产生了一定的分歧和争论。一方面，广大农民在党的领导下组织起来，创建合作社发展生产，初步显示了社会主义经济在发展生产、促进共同富裕方面的优越性。在社会主义合作化运动中已经涌现出一大批坚定走社会主义道路的先进农民，也积累了许多办好社会主义合作社的先进经验。到1955年，在全国各个省份（除新疆、西藏外）已经积累了一大批推进社会主义合作化运动、建设现代化农业农村并取得显著效果的案例。另一方面，党内围绕合作社问题存在着一定的分歧和争论，一定时期内甚至出现了党的领导落后于群众积极性的局面，与农业合作化运动即将出现高潮的局面不相适应。一些部门和地方的领导对推进合作化运动信心不足，或者在遇到挫折后趋于悲观，因此不敢积极领导合作化运动，或没有恰当的方法有力推进合作化工作。尤其是当部分合作社因为方法不对遇到困难时，有些领导粗暴地解散了之，大规模砍掉合作社，而不是积极想办法整顿改进提高。这不仅影响了合作化运动的发展，违背了生产力发展的客观要求，也损害和弱化了党对农业农村工作的领导。摆在毛泽东面前的一项重要任务是：领导中国共产党以更积极的姿态面对农业合作化运动，发掘、交流、推广农业合作化运动中的先进经验，在全国范围内带动一大批合作社稳步走上良性发展的轨道。这从毛泽东初次编辑《高潮》时将书取名为《怎样办农业生产合作社》即可知。

*The High Tide* was an important guiding document produced during the socialist agricultural cooperation movement. In order to fully summarize, introduce, and disseminate the advanced experience emerging from the socialist cooperation process, Mao Zedong consciously required provinces across the country to write reports introducing their local practical achievements and methods in agricultural cooperation, and he also collected many reports and newsletters from local Party journals and newspapers. From the more than 200 reports and newsletters gathered, Mao carefully selected 176 to compile into a book after reading them attentively. The title evolved from the initial *How to Run Agricultural Production Cooperatives* to the final *The High Tide of Socialism in China’s Countryside*. To criticize erroneous ideas and offer targeted suggestions, Mao wrote commentaries for 104 of the pieces under the name “Editor of This Book,” and wrote prefaces for the book twice. The completed work was attributed to the Compilation Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and was published in February 1956.

《高潮》是在社会主义农业合作化运动中产生的重要指导文献。为了充分总结、介绍、推广社会主义合作化进程中涌现出来的先进经验，毛泽东开始有意识地要求全国各省撰写报告，介绍本地进行农业合作化的实践成绩与办法，并从各地方党刊和报纸上搜集了许多报告与通讯。对先后收集上来的200多份报告与通讯，毛泽东在认真阅读的基础上，精心挑选了176份汇编成书。书名从最初的《怎样办农业生产合作社》到最终定为《中国农村的社会主义高潮》。为了批判错误思想、提出针对性建议，毛泽东以“本书编者”的名义为其中的104篇撰写了按语，并先后两次为该书撰写序言。成书署名中共中央办公厅编，于1956年2月出版。

II. Mao Zedong’s Preliminary Blueprint for China’s Socialist Agricultural and Rural Modernization

二、毛泽东对中国社会主义农业农村现代化的初步擘画

The carefully written commentaries in *The High Tide* embody Mao Zedong’s thinking on promoting agricultural and rural modernization in a large agricultural country with a low starting point and a large population. The commentaries in *The High Tide* clarify the goals of socialist agricultural and rural modernization and depict a vision of struggle that inspires boundless hope and immense enthusiasm for construction. China’s socialist modernization, in essence, means achieving modernization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, relying on the working people, and on the basis of socialist public ownership. This kind of modernization is not only feasible but also possesses significant advantages over capitalist modernization. In the commentary to the first piece in *The High Tide*, Mao pointed out the bright prospects of this path: “Social wealth is created by the workers, peasants, and working intellectuals. As long as these people take their destiny into their own hands, follow a Marxist-Leninist line, and instead of evading problems, tackle them with a positive attitude, any difficulty in the world can be overcome.”

《高潮》一书精心撰写的按语，体现了毛泽东在一个起点低、人口多的农业大国推动农业农村现代化建设的思路。《高潮》按语明确了社会主义农业农村现代化建设的目标，描绘了令人无限憧憬、激发起无穷建设热情的奋斗愿景。中国的社会主义现代化从本质上来说，就是在中国共产党的领导下，依靠劳动人民，以社会主义公有制为基础实现现代化。这种现代化不仅是可行的，而且相对资本主义现代化具有显著的优势。毛泽东在《高潮》第一篇的按语中就指出了这条道路的光明前景：“社会的财富是工人、农民和劳动知识分子自己创造的。只要这些人掌握了自己的命运，又有一条马克思列宁主义的路线，不是回避问题，而是用积极的态度去解决问题，任何人间的困难总是可以解决的。”

*The High Tide* has been hailed as an encyclopedia of the socialist agricultural cooperation movement. A distinctive feature running through *The High Tide* is its “comprehensiveness.” The commentaries in *The High Tide* fully reflect Mao Zedong’s blueprint for agricultural and rural modernization and embody the guiding principle of “overall planning and all-round consideration” that Mao emphasized in guiding socialist modernization. This can be summarized as “twelve unities.”

《高潮》被誉为社会主义农业合作化运动的百科全书。贯穿《高潮》的一个鲜明特点，是“全面”。《高潮》按语充分体现了毛泽东对农业农村现代化的擘画，体现了毛泽东指导社会主义现代化所强调的“统筹兼顾”指导方针。这可以概括为“12个相统一”。

First, the unity of strengthening Party leadership and maintaining close ties with the masses.

第一，加强党的领导与密切联系群众相统一。

The core issue to be resolved in the socialist transformation of China’s countryside was how to effectively combine Party leadership with the masses’ enthusiasm for taking the socialist road, and how to run cooperatives that were warmly welcomed by the broad masses of poor and lower-middle peasants. Party leadership should possess a strong sense of historical initiative and a spirit of responsibility, directly confronting the urgent needs of the masses in socialist construction, and actively studying and solving problems. It must not use “not knowing how” or “not understanding” as excuses to evade new problems arising in the socialist process. Mao pointed out: “We have put forward slogans such as ‘active leadership, steady advance’ and ‘comprehensive planning, strengthened leadership,’ and we endorse the entirely correct slogan put forward by the comrades of Zunhua County: ‘The secretary takes the lead, the whole Party runs the cooperative.’” This achieves the transition “from not knowing to knowing, from a few people knowing to the majority knowing, from district cadres running cooperatives to the masses running cooperatives.” Only by not evading, suppressing, or dampening the masses’ enthusiasm, but instead respecting and guiding it, can the Party’s leadership in the process of socialist construction be exerted. Mao admonished the whole Party: “Do not divorce yourselves from the masses; be good at discovering the masses’ enthusiasm in its essence,” and not to turn a blind eye to the immense enthusiasm for taking the socialist cooperative path that is latent among the masses. “Spend some time going among the masses to see what they are thinking and doing, and from this, find advanced experience and spread it.”

中国农村的社会主义改造，需要解决的核心问题是：如何将党的领导与群众走社会主义道路的积极性有效结合起来，办好广大贫农和下中农热烈欢迎的合作社。党的领导应该有强烈的历史主动性和担当精神，直面群众在社会主义建设中的迫切需要，积极研究和解决问题。不能以“不会”“不懂”为理由回避社会主义进程中出现的新问题。毛泽东指出：“我们提出了‘积极领导，稳步前进’，‘全面规划，加强领导’这样一些口号，并且赞成遵化县同志们所提出来的‘书记动手，全党办社’这个完全正确的口号。”以此实现“‘从不懂到懂”，‘从少数人会到多数人会’，‘从区干部办社到群众办社’”。不回避、打击、挫败群众的积极性，而是给予尊重和引导，才能发挥党在社会主义建设进程中的领导力。毛泽东告诫全党“不要脱离群众，要善于从本质上发现群众的积极性”，不要对群众中蕴藏着的巨大的走社会主义合作化道路的积极性视而不见。“拿出一些时间到群众中去走一走，看看群众在想些什么，做些什么，从其中找出先进经验，加以推广。”

Second, the unity of developing productive forces and transforming relations of production.

第二，发展生产力与变革生产关系相统一。

On the one hand, Mao attached great importance to developing productive forces, explicitly making the development of productive forces a criterion for measuring the quality of cooperative development. He pointed out: “All cooperatives should take whether and to what extent they increase production as the main criterion for testing whether they are sound.” Only through the development of productive forces, fully demonstrating the superiority of the new relations of production, can the masses be fully mobilized. “When people see that large cooperatives and advanced cooperatives are more advantageous than small cooperatives and elementary cooperatives, when they see that long-term planning will bring them a much higher material and cultural standard of living than they now have, they will agree to merge cooperatives and upgrade them.” On the other hand, seizing the opportune moment to guide the masses in transforming relations of production will further promote the development of productive forces. Mao pointed out: “The present small cooperatives and elementary cooperatives are still a fetter on the full utilization of labor power and various means of production. When we run large cooperatives and advanced cooperatives, this fetter can be broken, and the entire productive forces and production can take a big step forward.”

一方面，毛泽东高度重视发展生产力，明确将发展生产力作为衡量合作社发展质量的标准。他指出：“一切合作社，都要以是否增产和增产的程度，作为检验自己是否健全的主要的标准。”只有通过生产力的发展，充分展现新型生产关系的优越性，才能充分动员群众。“当着人们看见了大型社和高级社比较小型社和初级社更为有利的时候，当着人们看见长期规划将给他们带来比较现在高得多的物质和文化的生活水平的时候，他们就会同意并社和升级的。”另一方面，不失时机地引导群众变革生产关系，将会进一步促进生产力的发展。毛泽东指出：“现在的小社和初级社，对于充分地利用劳动力和诸种生产资料，还是一种束缚。到了办大社和高级社的时候，就可以冲破这种束缚，而使整个生产力和生产向前发展一大步。”

Third, the unity of bold construction and practicing strict economy.

第三，大刀阔斧建设与厉行勤俭节约相统一。

The starting point for China’s socialist modernization was poverty and blankness. How to view the basic fact of “poverty”? Mao demonstrated extraordinary strategic vision. First, one must not, because of poverty, belittle oneself, tie one’s own hands, dare not use one’s brains to carry out construction on a grand and bold scale, or dare not envision a grand socialist blueprint. New China actively planned the cause of rural modernization, putting forward many far-sighted construction plans and goals, striving to change the poor and backward face of the countryside in a short time. The government also actively provided financial support to peasants within the limits possible. “In the process of agricultural cooperation, the state should give peasants necessary assistance in terms of funds, such as the poor peasant funds already established and other loans.” Second, one must be good at living frugally, calculating carefully, and practicing strict economy. In his commentary to the article “Running the Cooperative Diligently and Frugally,” Mao highly praised the “poor stick cooperative” of Wang Guofan in Zunhua, Hebei, explaining the relationship between “poverty” and “frugality” from the height of the basic principles of socialist construction. “China is a big country, but it is still very poor. It will take several decades to make China rich. Even after several decades, the principle of diligence and frugality must still be followed, but it is especially necessary to advocate diligence and frugality, and to pay particular attention to economy, in the current few decades, in the current few Five-Year Plan periods.” The great significance of the socialist cooperation movement lies precisely in finding a bright path for hundreds of millions of peasants to change their bitter fate. In this process, the “poor sticks” organizing themselves to engage in construction is precisely an embodiment of the socialist spirit.

中国社会主义现代化建设的起点是一穷二白。怎么看待“穷”这一基本事实？毛泽东表现出非凡的战略眼光。首先，不能因为穷，就妄自菲薄，自缚手脚，不敢开动脑筋大张旗鼓、大刀阔斧搞建设，不敢畅想社会主义宏伟蓝图。新中国积极规划农村现代化建设事业，提出了许多卓有远见的建设方案与目标，力图在不长时间内改变农村穷困落后的面貌。政府也在尽可能的限度内，积极为农民提供资金支持。“在农业合作化的过程中，在资金方面，国家应当给予农民以必要的援助，例如现在已经设立的贫农基金和其他贷款。”其次，要善于过穷日子，精打细算、厉行节约。毛泽东在《勤俭办社》一文按语中，高度赞扬了河北遵化王国藩的“穷棒子社”，从社会主义建设基本原则的高度来阐释“穷”与“节俭”的关系问题。“中国是一个大国，但是现在还很穷，要使中国富起来，需要几十年时间。几十年以后也需要执行勤俭的原则，但是特别要提倡勤俭，特别要注意节约的，是在目前这几十年内，是在目前这几个五年计划的时期内。”社会主义合作化运动的伟大意义正在于为亿万农民改变穷苦命运找到了一条光明大道。在这个进程中，“穷棒子”们组织起来搞建设正是社会主义精神的体现。

Fourth, the unity of economic work and ideological-political work.

第四，经济工作与思想政治工作相统一。

The socialist agricultural cooperation movement profoundly changed the relations of production in the countryside, representing a major adjustment of people’s material interests, which inevitably gave rise to many ideological contradictions, disagreements, and conflicts. Mao explicitly emphasized the principle that “political work is the lifeblood of all economic work,” pointing out that “the agricultural cooperation movement was, from the very beginning, a serious ideological and political struggle.” The process of socialist cooperation required attaching great importance to ideological-political work, using effective ideological-political work to promote economic work. On the one hand, it was necessary to “oppose the spontaneous tendency toward capitalist selfishness and self-interest, and advocate the socialist spirit of taking the principle of combining collective interests with individual interests as the standard for all words and actions.” On the other hand, ideological-political work must be carried out concretely and in a targeted manner in conjunction with economic work. “It must be done very concretely and meticulously, based on the peasants’ life experience, and cannot adopt a rough attitude or simple methods. It must be done together with economic work, not in isolation.” Mao introduced the method used by the Xianfeng Agricultural Production Cooperative in Longfeng Township, Hua’an County, Fujian Province, which used “four comparisons and five calculations” to explain to the peasants which of the two systems was better and which was worse, in a way that was easy to understand at a single hearing. Good propaganda work cannot “try to intimidate the audience with big labels,” but rather “use the local peasants’ experience to make a detailed analysis for the peasants.”

社会主义农业合作化运动深刻改变农村的生产关系，是对人们物质利益的重大调整，必然会引起许多思想上的矛盾、分歧与冲突。毛泽东明确强调“政治工作是一切经济工作的生命线”的原则，指出“农业合作化运动，从一开始，就是一种严重的思想的和政治的斗争”。社会主义合作化进程中，要求高度重视思想政治工作，通过有效的思想政治工作来促进经济工作。一方面，“反对自私自利的资本主义的自发倾向，提倡以集体利益和个人利益相结合的原则为一切言论行动的标准的社会主义精神”。另一方面，思想政治工作必须结合经济工作来具体地、有针对性地做。“必须根据农民的生活经验，很具体地很细致地去做，不能采用粗暴的态度和简单的方法。它是要结合着经济工作一道去做的，不能孤立地去做。”毛泽东介绍了福建省华安县龙峰乡先锋农业生产合作社通过“四对比、五算账”，向农民说明两种制度谁好谁坏、使人一听就懂的方法。好的宣传工作不能“企图拿大帽子压服听众”，而是“拿当地农民的经验向农民作细致的分析”。

Fifth, the unity of developing and utilizing nature and protecting the ecological environment.

第五，开发利用自然与保护生态环境相统一。

The socialist agricultural cooperation movement developed the productive forces, manifesting as a greatly enhanced capacity to exploit and utilize nature. “Socialism not only liberated the laborers and the means of production from the old society, but also liberated the vast natural world that the old society could not utilize.” People’s power to resist natural disasters also grew; in their struggle with nature they increasingly gained the initiative, continuously realizing the leap from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom. The socialist cooperation movement displayed a new atmosphere in the development of nature, integrating the exploitation and utilization of nature with environmental protection. In the socialist agricultural cooperation movement, on the one hand, organized peasants gained greater strength to carry out a deeper transformation of nature, accomplishing things that scattered individual peasants could not, such as large-scale water conservancy construction, land reclamation, and mountain forest development. On the other hand, peasants organized under Party leadership overcame the selfish narrowness and anarchic production of the small-scale individual peasant, enabling them to exploit and utilize nature with a long-term perspective, developing while protecting. In his commentary on the article “Look, Daquan Mountain Has Changed Its Face!” Mao Zedong, citing the example of Yanggao County in Shanxi Province, pointed out: “With such a typical example, the whole of North China, the Northwest, and all places with soil erosion problems can solve their own problems in the same way.” Regarding land reclamation and production, Mao pointed out: “Attention must be paid to soil and water conservation work; under no circumstances should reclamation cause floods in downstream areas.”

社会主义农业合作化运动发展了生产力，表现为开发利用自然的能力大大增强。“社会主义不仅从旧社会解放了劳动者和生产资料，也解放了旧社会所无法利用的广大的自然界。”人们抵御自然灾害的力量也在增强，在同自然的斗争中日益取得主动，不断实现从必然王国向自由王国的飞跃。社会主义合作化运动在开发自然方面出现了崭新的气象，将开发利用自然与保护环境统一起来。在社会主义农业合作化运动中，一方面，组织起来的农民有了更大的力量对自然进行更深刻的改造，办成了分散的个体农民无法办到的事情，如大规模兴修水利、开垦荒地、开发山林，等等。另一方面，在党的领导下组织起来的农民克服了个体小农的自私狭隘性与生产的无政府状态，能够立足长远地开发利用自然，边开发边保护。毛泽东在《看，大泉山变了样子！》一文按语中，结合山西省阳高县的例子指出：“有了这样一个典型例子，整个华北、西北以及一切有水土流失问题的地方，都可以照样去解决自己的问题了。”毛泽东针对开荒生产指出：“必须注意水土保持工作，决不可以因为开荒造成下游地区的水灾。”

Sixth, the unity of bold planning and meticulous refinement.

第六，大胆规划与细心完善相统一。

The socialist agricultural cooperation movement was a great practice in which the Party led the masses to organize and build agriculture and the countryside, greatly overcoming the narrowness, selfishness, and short-sightedness of the small-peasant economy. Compared with individual peasants, cooperatives had both a longer-term vision for planning agricultural and rural development and greater capacity to implement those development plans. In his commentary on *The High Tide of Socialism in China’s Countryside* [n7], Mao Zedong particularly advocated strengthening planning. “All localities, all cooperatives, must draw up their own long-term plans.” Planning included both comprehensive plans and plans for specific undertakings. The essence of strengthening planning was to replace the blindness of an anarchic state with planned production, thereby demonstrating a stronger promoting effect on the development of productive forces. In his commentary on the article “The Long-Range Plan of the Red Star Collective Farm,” Mao Zedong pointed out: “In this place called China, it is only now that conditions have been obtained for developing its economy and culture according to plan. Since obtaining these conditions, the face of our country will change year by year.” Of course, a plan is only a form of understanding; it still needs to be further tested and developed in practice. Therefore, drawing up a plan does not mean the end of planning work; one must still observe carefully in practice, then further refine and adjust according to actual conditions to ensure the plan can be smoothly implemented. Mao Zedong also pointed out: “Such a plan is only a general direction; it must be concretized through each five-year plan and each annual plan. Through the implementation of several annual plans, the long-range plan will need to be revised again and again.” However, one should not fear making plans just because they are imperfect, nor abandon planning altogether because the plan might be criticized or need revision in practice. “Even if it is done roughly, it does not matter; it can be revised in 1957 to make it concrete and complete, and revised again in 1958 to make it further concrete and complete.” This is a vivid manifestation in the process of socialist construction of the law of contradictory development of cognition revealed by Marxist social epistemology.

社会主义农业合作化运动是党领导人民群众组织起来建设农业农村的伟大实践，大大克服了小农经济的狭隘性、自私性、短视性。合作社相对个体农民而言，既有更长远的眼光来规划农业农村发展，也有更强大能力将发展规划落实。毛泽东在《高潮》按语中特别提倡加强规划。“一切地方，一切合作社，都要做出自己的长期计划来。”规划既包括全面的规划，也包括某项具体事业的规划。加强规划的实质，是以有计划的生产取代无政府状态的盲目性，并显现出对生产力发展更强大的促进作用。毛泽东在《红星集体农庄的远景规划》一文按语中指出：“在中国这个地方，直到现在方才取得了按照计划发展自己的经济和文化的条件。自从取得了这个条件，我国的面目就将一年一年地起变化。”当然，规划只是一种认识，还需要在实践中进一步检验、发展。因此，制订计划并不意味着规划工作的终结，还需要在实践中留心观察，再根据实际情况进一步细化、调整，确保计划能够顺利落地。毛泽东也指出：“这种计划只是一个大的方向，还要用每一个五年计划和每一年的年度计划去加以具体化。由于几个年度计划的实行，远景计划会要一再加以修改的。”但是，不能因为不完善就害怕作规划，以计划在实践中可能被批评、要修改就撒手不作规划。“做得粗糙一点，也不要紧，可以在一九五七年加以修正，使之具体化和完善化，一九五八年再加以修正，使之进一步具体化和完善化。”这是马克思主义社会认识论所揭示的认识的矛盾发展规律在社会主义建设进程中的生动体现。

Seventh, the unity of patient guidance and education with serious struggle.

第七，耐心引导教育与严肃斗争相统一。

The socialist agricultural cooperation movement was a profound social transformation, encompassing contradictions of all kinds, which required concrete analysis. On the one hand, patient and meticulous explanation and persuasion work had to be carried out among the broad masses, continuously guiding and awakening their consciousness. Mao Zedong pointed out: “An earth-shaking undertaking like the socialist transformation of China’s more than 500 million peasants cannot emerge under calm and tranquil conditions; it requires us Communists to carry out patient, vivid, and easily understood propaganda and education work among the vast peasant masses who carry the burden of the old system on their backs.” Nevertheless, “we must firmly believe in this point: the shortcomings or mistakes among the working people can be overcome or corrected through appropriate political work.” On the other hand, the cooperation movement encountered many forces engaged in sabotage and damage, against which clear struggle consciousness and resolute struggle methods were necessary. Mao Zedong pointed out: “Cooperatives should set up supervisory committees responsible for inspecting the cooperatives’ accounts and carrying out a serious struggle against cadres’ embezzlement and theft.” “It is entirely necessary to examine, purge, and deal with counter-revolutionaries and other bad elements who have sneaked into the leading organs of cooperatives.” This method of distinguishing the nature of problems and clarifying the means of handling actually contained the germ of the later distinction between two types of contradictions of different natures in socialist society [n8].

社会主义农业合作化运动是一场深刻的社会变革，包含着方方面面的矛盾，需要对这些矛盾作具体的分析。一方面，对广大人民群众要作耐心细致的解释说服工作，不断引导启发群众的觉悟。毛泽东指出：“使我国五亿多农民实行社会主义改造这样一种惊天动地的事业，不可能是在一种风平浪静的情况下出现的，它要求我们共产党人向着背上背着旧制度包袱的广大的农民群众，进行耐心的生动的容易被他们理解的宣传教育工作。”尽管如此，“我们一定要相信这样一点，即劳动人民中的缺点或者错误，是能够经过适当的政治工作使他们加以克服或者改正的”。另一方面，合作化运动中会遇到许多进行破坏、损害的势力，对他们必须有明确的斗争意识和坚决的斗争手段。毛泽东指出：“合作社应当设立监察委员会，负责检查合作社的账目，对于干部的贪污盗窃行为进行严肃的斗争。”“对于混入合作社领导机关里的反革命分子和其他坏分子，加以审查、清洗和处理，是完全必要的。”这种区分问题性质、明确处理手段的办法，实际上蕴含着后来区分社会主义社会两类不同性质矛盾的萌芽。

Eighth, the unity of economic construction and social construction.

第八，经济建设与社会建设相统一。

On the basis of developing the economy and raising the level of productive forces, the socialist agricultural cooperation movement also greatly changed the state of social organization, the level of social governance, and the face of social life. Mao Zedong keenly perceived this trend and consciously coordinated the development of both. For example, cooperation further promoted women’s liberation, impelling women to participate in work and step onto the social stage, and advancing equality between men and women. In his commentary on the article “Women Have Stepped onto the Labor Front,” Mao Zedong pointed out: “To build a great socialist society, mobilizing the broad masses of women to participate in production activities is of great significance. In production, equal pay for equal work for men and women must be realized. Genuine equality between men and women can only be achieved in the process of the socialist transformation of the whole society.” The socialist agricultural cooperation movement began to solve the problem of illiteracy in the countryside and promoted the development of rural education and cultural undertakings. Cooperation strengthened the rural social security system, using the cooperative to coordinate the protection and relief of the poor, reducing the risk of impoverishment among peasants within the cooperative’s scope. Mao Zedong pointed out: “All cooperatives have the responsibility to help members who are widowed, orphaned, childless, or lacking labor power (they should be absorbed into the cooperative) and members who, though having labor power, face great difficulties in their livelihood, and to solve their difficulties.”

在发展经济、提高生产力水平的基础上，社会主义农业合作化运动也极大地改变了社会组织状况、社会治理水平、社会生活面貌。毛泽东敏锐地察觉到这一趋势，并自觉将二者统筹发展。例如，合作化进一步促进了妇女解放，推动妇女参加工作、走向社会舞台，促进了男女平等。毛泽东在《妇女走上了劳动战线》一文按语中指出：“为了建设伟大的社会主义社会，发动广大的妇女群众参加生产活动，具有极大的意义。在生产中，必须实现男女同工同酬。真正的男女平等，只有在整个社会的社会主义改造过程中才能实现。”社会主义农业合作化运动开始解决农村中的文盲问题，促进了农村教育文化事业的发展。合作化加强了农村的社会保障事业，以合作社统筹对贫困人口的保障救济，在合作社范围内降低了农民的贫困化风险。毛泽东指出：“一切合作社有责任帮助鳏寡孤独缺乏劳动力的社员（应当吸收他们入社）和虽然有劳动力但是生活上十分困难的社员，解决他们的困难。”

Ninth, the unity of refined division of labor and expanded cooperation.

第九，细化分工与扩大合作相统一。

The “cooperation” (合) of cooperation was based on the “division” (分) in the sphere of the social division of labor. On the one hand, with the development of cooperation, the scope of the division of labor in production expanded from the family under the small-peasant economy to the cooperative, greatly raising the degree of socialization of the division of labor. This caused labor operations and technical trades to differentiate in an increasingly fine direction. Mao Zedong pointed out: “The scale of production has grown, the number of branches of operation has increased, the scope of labor has expanded in breadth and depth into nature, work has become more refined, and labor power will be felt to be insufficient.” On the other hand, with the refinement of the social division of labor, the mutual dependence between different trades would further strengthen, making it all the more necessary to coordinate cooperation at the social level and strengthen the effect of collaboration. In this process, under Party leadership, cooperatives had to establish a system of cooperative assistance to mutual-aid teams and individual peasants, using the advanced to drive the backward, using the center to drive the periphery, helping lower-level cooperatives and individual peasants develop production, and gradually demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system. “The method of ‘mutual-aid and cooperation networks’ is good; it requires that cooperatives and teams be given equal consideration, and that cooperatives truly help mutual-aid teams and individual peasant households solve their current difficulties in production.” The more thorough and deep the “division,” the more extensive and broad the “cooperation” needed. In having both division and cooperation, the level of socialization of production was raised.

合作化的“合”，是以社会分工领域的“分”为基础的。一方面，随着合作化的发展，生产分工的范围从以往小农经济的家庭扩大到合作社，大大提高了分工的社会化程度。这使得劳动操作与技术工种朝着越来越细的方向分化。毛泽东指出：“生产的规模大了，经营的部门多了，劳动的范围向自然界的广度和深度扩张了，工作做得精致了，劳动力就会感到不足。”另一方面，随着社会分工的细化，不同工种之间的相互依赖会进一步加强，就更加需要在社会层面统筹合作，强化协作效果。在这个过程中，合作社要在党的领导下建立起对互助组和个体农民的合作帮助制度，以先进带动后进，以中心带动周边，帮助低级社和个体农民发展生产，逐步彰显社会主义的制度优越性。“‘互助合作网’的办法是好的，就是要社、组兼顾，合作社要真正帮助互助组和单干户解决他们的当前生产的困难问题。”越是彻底深入的“分”，越是需要大范围广泛的“合”。在有分有合中提升生产的社会化水平。

Tenth, the unity of main production and sideline production.

第十，主业生产与副业生产相统一。

Agriculture is a vast industrial system containing rich product categories, including both staple grain production and sideline production. The main line and sideline lines must be coordinated and balanced in development. On the one hand, a basic goal of China’s agricultural and rural modernization is to provide grain support for solving the problem of food and clothing, making the grain issue the primary issue in agricultural production. Mao Zedong showed great concern for grain production, treating it as an important indicator for measuring the achievements of cooperative development. On the other hand, Mao also attached great importance to sideline development, clearly stating: “Rural sideline production, nationwide, a very large part serves the countryside, but a not insignificant part must serve the cities and serve exports; in the future this part may expand.” Mao gave special instructions on developing pig farming: “All cooperatives must include pig farming in their own plans; of course provinces, prefectures, counties, and districts should also have their own plans.” Vigorously developing sideline production and raising the level of diversified agricultural operations will further promote the development of productive forces. “Developing diversified operations will provide an outlet for surplus labor.”

农业是一个庞大的产业系统，包含着丰富的产品门类，既有主粮生产，也有副业生产。主业与副业之间要协调兼顾、平衡发展。一方面，中国农业农村现代化的一个基本目标是要为解决温饱问题提供口粮支持，粮食问题成为农业生产的首要问题。毛泽东对粮食生产表示极大的关注，把粮食生产作为衡量合作社发展成就的重要指标。另一方面，毛泽东也高度重视副业发展，明确指出：“农村副业，就全国说来，一个很大的部分是为农村服务的，但是必须有一个不小的部分为城市服务和为出口服务，将来这部分可能扩大起来。”毛泽东对发展养猪特别作出指示：“一切合作社都要将养猪一事放在自己的计划内，当然省、专、县、区都应有自己的计划。”大力发展副业，提高农业的多种经营水平，会进一步促进生产力发展。“发展多种经营，剩余劳动力就有出路了。”

Eleventh, unifying the constructive enthusiasm of all age groups — young, middle-aged, and elderly — and all classes — workers and peasants.

第十一，老中青各年龄段、工农各阶级的建设积极性相统一。

The socialist agricultural cooperation movement requires mobilizing the strength of builders of all ages. Mao Zedong especially emphasized the strength of young people, pointing out: “Youth are the most active and vital force in the whole of society. They are most willing to learn, least conservative in thought, especially in the socialist era. It is hoped that Party organizations everywhere, in coordination with Communist Youth League organizations, will pay attention to studying how to especially bring out the strength of young people,” highly affirming the creativity of young people in socialist modernization. At the same time, Mao also stressed: “Of course young people must learn from the elderly and adults, and should try as much as possible to carry out various beneficial activities with the consent of the elderly and adults.” In his editorial note to the article “Experience in Planning Cooperation in a Township,” he pointed out: “All such intellectuals who can go to work in the countryside should gladly go there. The countryside is a vast realm where much can be accomplished.” The article “In the Cooperative Movement, the Enthusiasm of Workers’ Families Is Very High,” included in *The High Tide*,[9]9 *The High Tide of Socialism in China’s Countryside* (《中国农村的社会主义高潮》), a collection of case studies on agricultural cooperation edited by Mao Zedong in 1955–1956, with his editorial notes. also introduced the situation in Taixing Township, Wusong District, Shanghai, near the Shanghai Iron and Steel Plant and the No. 8 Cotton Textile Mill, where workers’ families were mobilized to carry out the socialist agricultural cooperation movement, thereby consolidating the worker-peasant alliance in the process of advancing socialist agricultural cooperation.

社会主义农业合作化运动，需要发挥各年龄段建设者的力量。毛泽东尤其重视青年人的力量，他指出：“青年是整个社会力量中的一部分最积极最有生气的力量。他们最肯学习，最少保守思想，在社会主义时代尤其是这样。希望各地的党组织，协同青年团组织，注意研究如何特别发挥青年人的力量”，对青年人在社会主义现代化建设中的创造性予以高度肯定。同时，毛泽东也强调：“当然青年人必须向老年人和成年人学习，要尽量争取在老年人和成年人同意之下去做各种有益的活动。”他在《在一个乡里进行合作化规划的经验》一文按语中指出：“一切可以到农村中去工作的这样的知识分子，应当高兴地到那里去。农村是一个广阔的天地，在那里是可以大有作为的。”收录于《高潮》中的《在合作化运动中，工人家属的积极性非常高》一文，还介绍了靠近上海钢铁厂、国棉八厂的上海市吴淞区泰兴乡发动工人家属，开展社会主义农业合作化运动的情形，在推进社会主义农业合作化的进程中巩固了工农联盟。

Twelfth, unifying the interior and the border ethnic minority areas.

第十二，内地与边疆民族地区相统一。

Socialist cooperation is the direction and inevitable developmental trend of profound social transformation in China. The level of development may vary from place to place, and the timing of implementation may differ, but the fundamental direction of ultimately taking the socialist road is consistent. Ethnic minority areas can and should carry out socialist cooperation; the people of ethnic minorities can run cooperatives well with their own wisdom and talent. This is both a manifestation of equality among all ethnic groups, respecting and trusting the people of ethnic minorities, and a powerful measure to promote the common development of all ethnic groups. Mao Zedong highly praised the deeds of the Seman District Party Committee in Shufu County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in vigorously establishing agricultural cooperatives, pointing out: “Some say that cooperation cannot be implemented among ethnic minorities. This is wrong. We have already seen that Mongol, Hui, Uygur, Miao, Zhuang, and other ethnic groups have already established many cooperatives, or cooperatives jointly run by people of several ethnic groups, and the results are very good.” On the issue of cooperation, there must be no mistaken view of belittling ethnic minorities. Socialist cooperation is the broad road to common development and prosperity for all ethnic groups.

社会主义合作化是中国社会进行深刻变革的方向和必然发展趋势。各地方可能发展水平各异，推行的时间不同，但最终走向社会主义大道的根本方向是一致的。民族地区也是可以并应该进行社会主义合作化的，少数民族人民是可以凭借自己的聪明才智办好合作社的。这既是各民族一律平等、尊重并相信少数民族人民的体现，也是推动各民族共同发展的有力举措。毛泽东对中共新疆维吾尔自治区疏附县色满区委大力创办农业合作社的事迹，给予了高度赞扬，指出：“有人说，在少数民族中不能实行合作化。这是不对的。我们已经看到蒙族，回族，维吾尔族，苗族，壮族和其他一些民族都已经办了不少的合作社，或者是几个族的人民联合办的合作社，并且成绩很好。”在合作化的问题上决不能有轻视少数民族的错误观点。社会主义合作化是各民族共同发展繁荣的康庄大道。

III. *The High Tide* and the Preliminary Manifestation of the Advantages of the Socialist System in Agricultural and Rural Modernization

三、《高潮》与社会主义制度优势在农业农村现代化建设中的初步显现

The enormous theoretical significance and ideological value of the book *The High Tide* lies in its use of detailed materials, vivid writing, and cases from all over the country to illustrate the fundamental advantages of the socialist system in agricultural and rural modernization. *The High Tide* is a vivid record of the Party’s leadership in agricultural and rural modernization. By collecting vivid cases of the agricultural cooperation movement from various places, it records the moving deeds of hundreds of millions of liberated working people building a new life under the leadership of the Party. The compilation period of *The High Tide* coincided with the high tide of socialist transformation in China’s countryside, when the socialist system was gradually being established in rural areas, further activating and promoting the development of productive forces through advanced relations of production. The third article of *The High Tide* is titled “The Direction of 500 Million Peasants.” Mao had considered using this article as the book’s title and first article precisely because it pointed out the fundamental direction of China’s socialist agricultural and rural modernization. In his editorial notes, Mao also paid great attention to clearly revealing the developmental trends contained in the specific materials from a principled height.

《高潮》一书的巨大理论意义与思想价值是，以翔实的材料、生动的笔触、五湖四海的案例说明了社会主义制度在农业农村现代化建设中的根本优势。《高潮》是党领导农业农村现代化建设的生动记录，通过汇集各地农业合作化运动的鲜活案例，记述了翻身解放的亿万劳动人民在党的领导下建设新生活的感人事迹。《高潮》的编写时间，正处于中国农村进行社会主义改造的高潮，社会主义制度在农村逐步建立起来，通过先进的生产关系进一步激活和促进了生产力发展。《高潮》的第三篇题为《五亿农民的方向》，毛泽东曾考虑将该篇作为书名和首篇，正是因为该书指明了中国社会主义农业农村现代化建设的根本方向。在按语中，毛泽东也非常注重将蕴含在具体材料中的发展趋势，从原则高度上明确地揭示出来。

In the editorial notes of *The High Tide*, Mao Zedong clarified the advantages of socialist public ownership, namely, to carry out socialist transformation of agriculture, transforming the individual private ownership of peasants into socialist public ownership. Only on the basis of public ownership can the narrowness, selfishness, and fragility of small-peasant economy be overcome, can the peasants’ ability to resist natural disasters and transform nature be enhanced, can the peasants be organized to form greater economic construction forces, and can the backward, impoverished, and scattered appearance of China’s countryside be thoroughly changed. Mao pointed out: “All working peasants, no matter which stratum, unless they organize for collective production, cannot resist natural disasters.” An obvious shortcoming of China’s traditional small-peasant economy was the small scale of production units; facing the characteristics of China’s monsoon climate with frequent floods and droughts, its ability to resist natural disasters was weak. This caused the small-peasant economy to easily collapse, leading to a cycle of selling land, land concentration, polarization, uprisings, and revolutions. The cooperative economy effectively organized the peasants, setting them on the bright road of developing production, eliminating poverty, and achieving common prosperity, providing an effective pathway toward modernization.

毛泽东在《高潮》按语中明确了社会主义公有制的优势，就是要对农业实行社会主义改造，变农民的个体私有制为社会主义的公有制。只有在公有制的基础上才能克服小农经济的狭隘性、自私性、脆弱性，才能增强农民抵御自然灾害、改造自然的能力，才能把农民组织起来形成更大的经济建设力量，彻底改变中国农村残破落后涣散的面貌。毛泽东指出：“一切劳动农民，不论是哪个阶层，除了组织起来集体生产，是无法抵抗灾荒的。”中国传统小农经济的一个明显缺点是生产单位小，面对中国季风气候水旱无常的特点，抵御自然灾害的能力弱。由此造成小农经济容易破产，进而出现出卖田地、土地兼并、两极分化、起义革命的循环。合作经济将农民有效组织起来，走上发展生产、消除贫困、共同富裕的光辉大道，为迈向现代化提供了有效的途径。

To fully leverage the advantages of the socialist system, it is necessary to uphold and strengthen the leadership of the Party. Mao Zedong demanded: “We hope that the leading organs of the more than two thousand counties across the country will closely monitor the development of the cooperation movement in their entire county, discover problems, study methods to solve problems, promptly convene meetings of all cooperative directors in the county, or meetings of the directors of key cooperatives in the county, make decisions, and implement them quickly.” In his editorial note to the article “Who Says a Chicken Feather Can’t Fly Up to Heaven,” Mao demanded that the Party should “vigorously publicize the benefits of cooperation nationwide.” The Party should ideologically “deal a fatal blow to opportunist thinking,” “make a comprehensive plan for cooperation, and strengthen leadership over this movement nationwide.”

充分发挥社会主义的制度优势，需要坚持和加强党的领导。毛泽东要求：“我们希望全国二千几百个县的县级领导机关，密切地注意全县合作化运动的发展情况，发现问题，研究解决问题的办法，及时地召开全县的合作社主任的会议，或者全县的重点合作社主任的会议，作出决定，迅速推行。”毛泽东在《谁说鸡毛不能上天》一文按语中要求，党应当“在全国范围内，大张旗鼓地宣传合作化的好处”。党要在思想上“给机会主义思想以致命的打击”，“给合作化做出全面的规划，并且在全国范围内加强对于这个运动的领导”。

Mao Zedong’s great effort in organizing the compilation of *The High Tide* fully embodies the fine work style of the Communist Party of China. The fine work style formed by the Communist Party of China during the revolutionary war era continued to radiate powerful vitality and combat effectiveness in the process of socialist revolution and construction.

毛泽东花大气力组织编写《高潮》一书，充分体现了中国共产党的优良作风。中国共产党在革命战争年代形成的优良作风，在社会主义革命和建设进程中继续焕发强大的生命力和战斗力。

First, *The High Tide* embodies the immense role of the mass line as a magic weapon in socialist modernization. The mass line is the fundamental working method of the Communist Party of China. On the one hand, the Party must be adept at promptly discovering the enthusiasm for building socialism latent among the masses. It must not cling to old ways or underestimate the masses’ initiative. Mao Zedong pointed out: “The broad masses of peasants are demanding the organization of cooperatives, and large numbers of intelligent, capable, fair-minded and active leading figures have emerged from among the masses. This situation is extremely heartening.” Communists must “not repeat the story of Lord Ye’s love of dragons [10]10 A reference to the Chinese idiom “Lord Ye professes to love dragons but is terrified of a real one,” from a story in the *New Discourses* (Xinyu) by Liu Xiang (1st century BCE). It describes someone who claims to like something but is actually afraid of it when it appears.; having talked about socialism for years, when socialism actually comes to them, they become afraid of it.” On the other hand, it is necessary to be adept at gathering, studying and elevating the wisdom that emerges from the masses, and under the Party’s organizational leadership, to spread it more widely so that it exerts influence over a broader scope. “We demand that every county Party secretary learn from the example of the Yanggao county Party secretary, earnestly seeking out advanced experience among the local masses, summing it up, and promoting it.” Compiling *The High Tide* was a typical case of following the mass line and pooling the wisdom of the masses to guide work. After its wide distribution and dissemination, *The High Tide* provided a powerful ideological impetus for the agricultural cooperation movement.

第一，《高潮》体现了群众路线这一法宝在社会主义现代化建设中的巨大作用。群众路线是中国共产党的根本工作路线。一方面，党要善于及时发现群众中蕴藏的建设社会主义的积极性。不能因循守旧、低估人民群众的积极性。毛泽东指出：“广大农民群众要求组织合作社，群众中涌出了大批的聪明、能干、公道、积极的领袖人物，这种情况十分令人兴奋。”共产党人“不要重复叶公好龙那个故事，讲了多少年的社会主义，临到社会主义跑来找他，他又害怕起来了”。另一方面，要善于把群众中出现的智慧汇集、研究、提高，在党的组织领导下，更普遍地推广开来，在更广泛的范围内产生影响力。“我们要求每个县委书记都学阳高县委书记那样，用心寻找当地群众中的先进经验，加以总结，使之推广。”编写《高潮》是走群众路线、汇聚群众智慧来指导工作的典型。《高潮》在广泛发行传播后为农业合作化运动提供了强大的思想推动力。

Second, *The High Tide* embodies the fine style of study of seeking truth from facts and emphasizing investigation and research. Seeking truth from facts is the basic method of thinking, working and leading of the Communist Party of China, emphasizing the study of objective laws from reality. Mao Zedong was a typical representative who applied the method of investigation and research to analyzing Chinese society and solving revolutionary tasks. During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the focus of Mao’s investigation and research work was the countryside, and he produced a large number of reports analyzing China’s rural problems. A considerable portion of the articles collected in *The High Tide* were investigation reports by Party and government cadres at all levels, or work reports and experience summaries written on the basis of investigation. These reports in *The High Tide* were the result of Mao Zedong’s vigorous advocacy and promotion of investigation and research as an important method of thinking and working for Communists throughout the entire Party. This shows that within the whole Party, a contingent of cadres proficient in using the method of investigation and research had gradually been cultivated. Mao Zedong pointed out: “We hope that the secretaries of the more than 200 prefectural Party committees across the country will each go to the countryside to study one or several cooperatives, and each write one or two articles.” *The High Tide* demonstrates that investigation and research, which had been Mao Zedong’s own personally practiced and highly beneficial method of thinking and working, was being transformed into the ideological consciousness and core competence of cadres throughout the Party.

第二，《高潮》体现了实事求是、注重调查研究的优良学风。实事求是是中国共产党的基本思想方法、工作方法、领导方法，强调从实际出发研究客观规律。毛泽东是将调查研究方法运用于分析中国社会、解决革命任务的典型代表。新民主主义革命时期，毛泽东调查研究工作的重点是农村，写出了一大批分析中国农村问题的报告。《高潮》所收入的文章，相当一部分都是各级党委干部的调查报告，或者是基于调查基础上写出来的工作汇报与经验总结。《高潮》中的这些报告是毛泽东将调查研究作为共产党人的重要思想方法和工作方法，面向全党大力提倡、努力推广的结果。这表明，在全党范围内已经逐步培养起一批熟练掌握运用调查研究方法的干部。毛泽东指出：“我们希望全国二百几十个地委的书记，每人都下乡去研究一个至几个合作社，每人写出一两篇文章来。”《高潮》说明，调查研究从毛泽东本人身体力行、受益无穷的思想方法和工作方法，正在转变为全党干部的思想自觉与看家本领。

Third, *The High Tide* embodies a vivid, image-rich, plain and popular Marxist style of writing, as well as Mao Zedong’s sustained efforts to rectify the Party’s style of writing. In order to compile *The High Tide* well, Mao Zedong organized personnel to carefully revise the collected drafts, including both titles and text. At the same time, he reluctantly admitted that “many of the more than 170 articles collected in this book have a strong flavor of Party stereotyped writing [11]11 “Party stereotyped writing” (党八股) refers to a rigid, formulaic and jargon-filled style of writing and speaking that Mao Zedong criticized in his 1942 rectification campaign, as a form of dogmatism divorced from reality..” In his editorial notes, Mao also commented on the literary quality of many articles. For example, one report “is also well written, easy to understand at a glance, and has no flavor of Party stereotyped writing,” but another report “also has shortcomings in its writing.” Opposing Party stereotyped writing was Mao Zedong’s clear-cut slogan for rectifying the Party’s style of writing. In the editorial notes of *The High Tide*, Mao continued to sharply criticize Party stereotyped writing, lamenting: “In which year can we read less of the headache-inducing Party stereotyped writing? This requires our comrades who edit newspapers and periodicals to pay attention to this matter, to demand that authors write vivid and fluent articles, and to personally help authors revise their articles.” Compared with the original manuscripts, the articles in *The High Tide*, after Mao’s careful revision, were completely renewed in both title and content, possessing both substantial content and strong readability. In particular, the editorial notes written by Mao Zedong himself contain many profound, novel, vivid and prescient expressions that have long become widely recited famous sayings.

第三，《高潮》体现了生动形象、通俗朴实的马克思主义文风，以及毛泽东持续整顿党的文风的努力。为了编好《高潮》一书，毛泽东组织人员对收集上来的初稿进行了精心的修改，既包括标题，也包括文字。同时，他也无奈地承认“本书中所收的一百七十多篇文章，有不少篇是带有浓厚的党八股气的”。毛泽东在按语中也对许多文章的文字水平进行了点评。例如，有的报告“文字也好，使人一看就懂，没有党八股气”，但有的报告“文字上也有缺点”。反对党八股，是毛泽东整顿党的文风的鲜明口号。在《高潮》按语中，毛泽东继续痛批党八股，感慨：“哪一年能使我们少看一点令人头痛的党八股呢？这就要求我们的报纸和刊物的编辑同志注意这件事，向作者提出写生动和通顺的文章的要求，并且自己动手帮作者修改文章。”《高潮》一书中的文章，相对于原始稿件，经过毛泽东的精心修改后，从标题到内容都焕然一新，既有实在的内容，也有很强的可读性。特别是毛泽东本人撰写的按语，许多表达深刻、新颖、生动、富有预见性，早已成为广为传诵的名言。

*The High Tide* relatively comprehensively and fully demonstrates the historical progressiveness of the socialist system in the agricultural and rural fields. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the working people of New China accomplished great things that history could not accomplish. In Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, the working people also set up cooperatives. Mao Zedong pointed out: “People who had remained impoverished for more than two thousand years, after running cooperatives for three years, saw their economic and cultural life begin to change. This proves that the present-day socialism is indeed unprecedented. Socialism is immeasurably superior to Confucius’s ‘classics.’”

《高潮》比较全面充分地展示了社会主义制度在农业农村领域的历史进步性。新中国劳动人民在中国共产党的领导下，办成了历史上无法办成的大事。在孔夫子的家乡曲阜，劳动人民也办起了合作社。毛泽东指出：“经过了两千多年仍然是那样贫困的人民，办了三年合作社，经济生活和文化生活都开始改变了面貌。这就证明，现在的社会主义确实是前无古人的。社会主义比起孔夫子的‘经书’来，不知道要好过多少倍。”

The “Resolution on Certain Historical Issues of the Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China” (hereinafter referred to as the “Resolution”) adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1981 fully affirmed the socialist cooperative movement in agriculture reflected in *The High Tide*. The general line for the transition period proposed that the socialist transformation of agriculture “reflected the inevitability of history.” The process of socialist transformation was successful. “On the whole, in a large country with a population of several hundred million, such a complex, difficult and profound social change was realized relatively smoothly, promoting the development of industry, agriculture and the entire national economy. This is indeed a great historical victory.” Socialist transformation promoted the development of productive forces and advanced modernization. After the basic completion of socialist transformation, “capital construction and technological transformation in agriculture began to unfold on a large scale and gradually achieved results. The amount of tractors and chemical fertilizers used in agriculture nationwide increased more than sixfold, and rural electricity consumption increased 70 times.” This greatly promoted the development of agricultural production. “Compared with 1952, in 1980, national grain output increased by nearly one time, and cotton output more than doubled. Although the population grew too fast and had now reached nearly one billion, we still basically ensured the people’s needs for food and clothing by our own efforts.” This is an objective evaluation, based on the test of decades of practice, of the achievements of the socialist agricultural and rural modernization path blueprinted in *The High Tide*, and a full affirmation of the historical merits of the Communist Party of China led by Mao Zedong.

1981年党的十一届六中全会通过的《关于建国以来党的若干历史问题的决议》（以下简称“《决议》”）充分肯定了《高潮》一书所反映的农业的社会主义合作化运动。过渡时期总路线提出对农业的社会主义改造“反映了历史的必然性”。社会主义改造过程是成功的。“整个来说，在一个几亿人口的大国中比较顺利地实现了如此复杂、困难和深刻的社会变革，促进了工农业和整个国民经济的发展，这的确是伟大的历史性胜利。”社会主义改造促进了生产力发展，推动了现代化建设。社会主义改造基本完成以后，“农业的基本建设和技术改造开始大规模地展开，并逐渐收到成效。全国农业用拖拉机和化肥施用量都增长6倍以上，农村用电量增长70倍”。由此极大地促进了农业生产的发展。“1980年同1952年相比，全国粮食增长近一倍，棉花增长一倍多。尽管人口增长过快，现在已近十亿，我们仍然依靠自己的力量基本上保证了人民吃饭穿衣的需要。”这是基于数十年实践检验结果，对《高潮》一书所擘画的社会主义农业农村现代化道路成就的客观评价，对毛泽东领导的中国共产党的历史功绩的充分肯定。

IV. Historical Lessons from Mao Zedong’s Blueprint for Socialist Agricultural and Rural Modernization

四、毛泽东对社会主义农业农村现代化擘画的历史启示

The Marxist Party style, style of study, and style of writing embodied in *The High Tide* are a successful case of strengthening Party leadership to promote agricultural and rural work. This not only effectively guided the cause of agricultural and rural modernization in New China, but also provides valuable inspiration for building a strong agricultural country in the New Era.

《高潮》所体现的马克思主义党风、学风、文风，是以加强党的领导促进农业农村工作的成功案例。这不仅有效指导了新中国农业农村现代化建设事业，也为新时代建设农业强国提供了宝贵启示。

First, we must fully recognize the historical achievements and great contributions of Mao Zedong’s leadership in China’s agricultural and rural modernization from a broad historical perspective. *The High Tide* reflects the glorious course of socialist transformation in China’s agricultural and rural fields. The establishment of the socialist system was the most profound social change in Chinese history, laying the institutional foundation for all of contemporary China’s development and progress. This is inseparable from the foresight, careful planning, and steady promotion of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Mao Zedong as its main representative. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The fruits of victory of the New Democratic Revolution must never be lost, the achievements of socialist revolution and construction must never be negated, and the direction of reform and opening up and socialist modernization must never be shaken. This is the qualification of the Party and the people to stand firm and forge ahead in the world today.” At a time when the Communist Party of China has led the people to achieve the First Centenary Goal and historically eliminate absolute poverty, comparing this with the great achievements of poverty governance in New China (whose main battlefield was precisely in the agricultural and rural fields) allows for a clearer and fuller understanding of the correctness of carrying out socialist transformation and taking the path of common prosperity. This confirms, in the long-term development of history, the far-sightedness of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Mao Zedong as its main representative.

第一，要在大历史视野中充分认识毛泽东领导中国农业农村现代化的历史成就与伟大功绩。《高潮》反映了中国农业农村领域进行社会主义改造的光辉历程。社会主义制度的建立是中国历史上最深刻的社会变革，为当代中国的一切发展和进步奠定了制度基础。这与以毛泽东同志为主要代表的中国共产党人高瞻远瞩、精心筹划、稳步推进是分不开的。习近平总书记指出：“新民主主义革命的胜利成果决不能丢失，社会主义革命和建设的成就决不能否定，改革开放和社会主义现代化建设的方向决不能动摇。这是党和人民在当今世界安身立命、风雨前行的资格。”在中国共产党领导人民实现第一个百年奋斗目标、历史性地消除绝对贫困之际，对照新中国贫困治理的伟大成就（其主战场正是在农业农村领域），能更清晰充分地认识到进行社会主义改造、走共同富裕道路的正确性。这在历史的长时段发展中印证了以毛泽东同志为主要代表的中国共产党人的远见卓识。

When writing the history of the Party and the history of the country, we must firmly grasp the theme and main line, the mainstream and essence, fully affirm the great significance of this transformation from the perspective of the inevitability of social formation change and historical progressiveness, and clearly oppose the practice of some proponents of historical nihilism who exaggerate mistakes, twists and turns, and costs. The keynote of “a great historical victory” in the Resolution must be made clear. From this perspective, the theoretical value and practical significance of *The High Tide* (especially the editorial notes) are further highlighted.

在书写党史、国史时，应当牢牢把握主题和主线、主流和本质，从社会形态变革必然性与历史进步性的角度，充分肯定这一变革的伟大意义，旗帜鲜明地反对一些历史虚无主义论者过分夸大失误、曲折、代价的做法。应当明确《决议》中“伟大的历史性胜利”这一基调。从这一视角出发，《高潮》一书（尤其是按语）的理论价值与现实意义也进一步凸显。

Second, from the perspective of comparing social systems, we must fully recognize the immense superiority of the socialist system in realizing agricultural and rural modernization. Examined through the lens of differences in social systems, the path of agricultural and rural modernization in New China possesses a fourfold progressive character. First, from the angle of “the change from ancient to modern times,”[12]12 “The change from ancient to modern times” (古今之变) is a classical Chinese historiographical concept referring to fundamental transformations in social structure and governance across historical epochs. the socialist agricultural cooperation movement was a great and profound transformation in China’s countryside, laying the fundamental institutional foundation for the sustained development and prosperity of agriculture and rural areas. Compared with the small-peasant mode of production that had long dominated in ancient China, socialist cooperation greatly overcame the narrowness of small-scale production, unleashed the productive potential latent in hundreds of millions of peasants, and met the needs of large-scale socialized production. The organized peasants built water conservancy projects, prevented and controlled disasters, reclaimed wasteland, improved techniques, cultivated improved seed varieties, and established various public undertakings. This not only developed agriculture and revitalized the countryside but also provided strong support for socialist industrialization, achieving a positive interaction between agriculture and industry, and between rural and urban areas. Second, from the perspective of transcending capitalist modernization, it explored a successful path for resolving the “three rural crises”[13]13 “Three rural crises” (三农危机) refers to problems concerning agriculture, rural areas, and peasants (三农), a standard policy formulation in China. inherent in capitalist modernization. The blueprint for China’s agricultural and rural areas drawn up by the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as their chief representative, both met the demands of national industrialization and modernization and gave due consideration to the requirements of sustained development in agriculture and rural areas. This avoided the series of harmful consequences arising from the one-sided subordination of rural areas to urban areas in the process of capitalist modernization. While serving national industrialization, it opened up space for the sustained, autonomous, and comprehensive development of agriculture and rural areas. The comprehensive development of agriculture and rural areas laid the economic and organizational foundation for the subsequent elimination of absolute poverty. Third, from the perspective of the history of socialist development, it surpassed the shortcomings of the Soviet Union’s socialist construction process, where agriculture long lagged behind and lacked developmental momentum, and represented a development and advancement of the experience of socialist construction. Soviet agricultural development had long been stagnant, and Mao Zedong explicitly took this as an important element of “taking the Soviet Union as a mirror.”[14]14 “Taking the Soviet Union as a mirror” (以苏为鉴) was a guiding principle Mao Zedong articulated in the mid-1950s, urging China to learn from the Soviet Union’s successes and avoid its mistakes in socialist construction. This constituted an essential feature of New China’s industrialization path and was also a major achievement and outstanding contribution of China’s socialist agricultural and rural modernization. Fourth, from the perspective of world historical processes and the evolution of civilization, it provided a successful case of an agricultural country developing into an industrial country and advancing modernization, offering valuable reference and a new choice for development in other regions of the world. While rapidly advancing industrialization and transforming from an agricultural country into an industrial country, New China also fully safeguarded the interests of the peasants, achieved stability and development in agriculture and rural areas, enabled the long-standing and profound agricultural civilization to undergo a modern transformation, and opened up a new path of coordinated urban-rural development. This is undoubtedly of world-historical significance.

第二，要在社会制度比较视野中，充分认识社会主义制度在实现农业农村现代化方面的巨大优越性。基于社会制度差别来审视，新中国的农业农村现代化道路具有四重进步性。一是从“古今之变”的角度看，社会主义农业合作化运动是中国农村一场伟大而深彻的变革，为农业农村的持久发展繁荣奠定了根本制度基础。相对于中国古代长期占统治地位的小农生产方式，社会主义合作化大大克服了小生产的狭隘性，激发了亿万农民中蕴藏的生产潜力，符合社会化大生产的需要。组织起来的农民，兴修水利、防治灾害、开垦荒地、改进技术、培育良种，兴办各种公共事业，既发展了农业、振兴了农村，也为社会主义工业化提供了强有力的支持，实现了农业与工业、乡村与城市的良性互动。二是从超越资本主义现代化的角度，为破解资本主义现代化中的“三农”危机探索了一条成功路径。以毛泽东同志为主要代表的中国共产党人对中国农业农村领域的擘画，既满足了国家工业化、现代化的要求，又较好地照顾了农业农村领域的持久发展要求。这避免了资本主义现代化进程中农村片面从属于城市引发的一系列恶果。在服务国家工业化的同时，为农业农村领域的持续、自主、全面发展开辟了空间。农业农村的全面发展为后续进一步消除绝对贫困奠定了经济和组织基础。三是从社会主义发展史的角度看，超越了苏联社会主义建设进程中农业长期滞后、发展乏力的缺点，是对社会主义建设经验的发展和推进。苏联农业发展长期滞后，毛泽东明确将其作为“以苏为鉴”的重要内容。这构成了新中国工业化道路的要义，也是中国社会主义农业农村现代化的重要成就和突出贡献。四是从世界历史进程与文明演进的角度看，提供了农业国发展为工业国、推进现代化建设的成功案例，为世界其他地区发展提供了宝贵借鉴和全新选择。新中国在快速推进工业化、从农业国变成工业国的同时，也充分照顾了农民的利益，实现了农业农村的稳定与发展，让悠久深厚的农业文明实现了现代转型，开辟了一条统筹城乡发展的新路。这无疑是具有世界历史意义的。

Third, fully absorb the valuable nutrients from the editorial notes in *The High Tide of Socialism in China’s Countryside*,[15]15 *The High Tide of Socialism in China’s Countryside* (《中国农村的社会主义高潮》) is a 1956 collection of case studies on agricultural cooperation, edited by Mao Zedong, who wrote extensive editorial notes (按语) for many of its articles. and in the New Era do a good job of the work concerning agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (the “three rural” work), deeply advance the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, and better and more quickly build a modern socialist agricultural power. The editorial notes in *The High Tide* pointed out the fundamental direction for realizing agricultural and rural modernization in China: advancing agricultural and rural modernization along the socialist path under the leadership of the Party. The fundamental leadership method is to make overall plans and take all factors into consideration. Applied to the present, this means both upholding the collective ownership foundation of agriculture without wavering, resolutely resisting erroneous trends such as the privatization of rural land, and also using one’s brains to enliven the rural management system and strive to promote the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside. The main thread running through all this is unswervingly upholding the Party’s leadership over agricultural and rural work, consolidating the Party’s governing and organizational foundations in the countryside, and preventing the risk of the Party’s grassroots organizations in rural areas becoming lax, paralyzed, or insensitive. Since the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to agricultural and rural modernization, insisted on making solving the “three rural” issues the top priority, insisted on Party secretaries at five levels[16]16 “Party secretaries at five levels” (五级书记) refers to Party secretaries at the province, prefecture/city, county, township, and village levels, a framework for ensuring leadership accountability in rural revitalization. taking charge of rural revitalization, made a comprehensive blueprint for realizing agricultural and rural modernization, and is committed to building agriculture into a modern large-scale industry, equipping rural areas with basic modern living conditions, and making peasants’ lives more prosperous and beautiful. This is an adherence to and development of the socialist agricultural and rural modernization path initially blueprinted by Mao Zedong. We must take this as our guide, further advance the construction of agricultural and rural modernization, and build a modern socialist agricultural power at an early date.

第三，充分汲取《高潮》按语的宝贵养分，在新时代做好“三农”工作，深入推进乡村全面振兴，更好更快建成社会主义现代化农业强国。《高潮》按语指明了在中国实现农业农村现代化的根本方向，就是在党的领导下沿着社会主义方向推进农业农村现代化，根本的领导方法就是统筹兼顾。落实到当下，表现为既要坚持农业的集体所有制基础不动摇，坚决抵制农村土地私有化等错误浪潮，也要开动脑筋，放活农村经营管理体制，努力促进乡村全面振兴。贯穿其中的一条主线是，毫不动摇地坚持党对农业农村工作的领导，巩固党在农村的执政基础和组织基础，防止党的基层组织在农村出现涣散、瘫痪、麻木风险。新时代以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高度重视农业农村现代化，坚持把解决好“三农”问题作为重中之重，坚持五级书记抓乡村振兴，对实现农业农村现代化进行了全面擘画，致力于把农业建成现代化大产业、使农村基本具备现代生活条件、让农民生活更加富裕美好。这是对毛泽东初步擘画的社会主义农业农村现代化道路的坚持和发展。我们要以此为遵循，进一步推进农业农村现代化建设，早日建成社会主义现代化农业强国。