Vigorously Encourage the Practice of Conducting Investigations and Research in the 1960s

Mao Zedong's advocacy and personal engagement of large-scale investigation and research activities. Under Mao Zedong's advocacy and his involvement in person, a large-scale investigation and research activities sprang up in the whole ranks of the CPC, especially within the CPC Central Committee and leading cadres at all levels from late 1960 to the first half of 1961.

From December 24, 1960, to January 13, 1961, the Central Committee of the CPC held a work conference in Beijing, and Mao Zedong argued that the various mistakes in the national economic work originated from the neglect of investigation and research work leading to subjectivism and one-sidedness in ideology and methodology. On the last day of the meeting, Mao Zedong made a speech calling on the whole Party to restore the tradition of seeking the truths from reality and investigation and study, to flourish investigation and study, and to proceed from reality in order to make 1961 a year of seeking the truths from reality and investigation and study.

On March 23, 1961, the Central Committee issued “Letter to the Party Committees of the Central Bureau, Provinces, Municipalities and Districts Concerning the Serious Investigation Work”, and a copy of Mao Zedong's "Investigation Work", emphasizing that “proceeding from reality, and no investigation, no right to speak, must become the primary criterion for the thoughts and actions of all Party cadres, requiring Party committee leaders at the county level and above, first of all, the first secretary, to go to the grassroots level to conduct a systematic and typical investigation as the first task of leadership work. Upon the call of Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, the whole Party adopted a general atmosphere of investigation and research. Mao Zedong sent Tian Jiaying, Hu Qiaomu and Chen Boda to rural regions of Zhejiang, Hunan and Guangdong together with three investigation teams, and he personally went to Jinpu (Henan Province) and to places alongside the Zhejiang-Jiangxi and Beijing-Guangzhou railway lines, for a month of investigation. Liu Shaoqi went to Hunan, Zhou Enlai to Hebei, Zhu De to East China provinces and Guangdong, Chen Yun to Shanghai, Deng Xiaoping and Peng Zhen to Beijing suburban counties and other places to implement investigations. All central bureaus, ministries and commissions of the State Council, and Party and government leaders of all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have conducted in-depth investigations at the grass-roots level. The contents of the survey and investigations expanded from rural issues to industrial, commercial, scientific and educational issues, and on this basis, the central government formed regulations for work in the fields of agriculture, industry, commerce, education, literature and art.

During the 1960s, the wind of investigation and research was greatly promoted, which to a certain extent restored the Party's ideological line of seeking the truth from facts and vigorously promoted the adjustment of the Party's economic policy. The work regulations formulated through investigation and research still have important theoretical significance and practical value.