Serving t h e People

w i t h Dialectics
Serving the People
with Dialectics
Essays on the Study of Philosophy
by Workers and Peasants

FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS

PEKING 1972
Printed in the People's Republic of China
 Editors Note

I n recent years, the study of C h a i r m a n Mao's philosophic

writings has become popular among China's broad masses
of w o r k e r s a n d peasants i n a l l fields of socialist construc-
t i o n . M a n y f r e s h successes i n t h e struggle f o r p r o d u c -
t i o n and scientific e x p e r i m e n t have been made, a n d a
great n u m b e r of advanced people have become o u t s t a n d -
ing for their study and application of philosophy.
The six titles included i n the collection tell facts that
vividly describe advanced deeds b y China's w o r k e r s ,
peasants and scientific w o r k e r s , w h o attribute t h e m to
their application of C h a i r m a n Mao's philosophic thinking.
 Contents

Raising Peanut Yields 1

Applying Philosophy in Transport 10
Weather Keepers for the Revolution 19
Keeping Vegetables Fresh 26
Patients w i t h Broken Backs W a l k A g a i n 34
Delivering Dead Letters 43
1
 Raising Peanut Yields
by Yao Shih-chang*

I was born into a poor peasant family forty-eight

years ago. I went to school for four years when I
was a child. For more than ten years I have studied
Chairman Mao's philosophic works in order to use
materialist dialectics. Applied to my scientific experi-
ments to increase peanut production, this study helped
to raise our brigade's average per-hectare yield of peanuts
from around 1.5 tons before 1958 to 3.4 tons. We've
reached as high as over 6 tons.

Lessons from Failure

Our brigade has some 320 hectares of fields, mostly
hilly. We grow peanuts on about 133 hectares of this.
Before 1955, our average per-hectare yield was about
1.1 tons. We raised this figure somewhat after setting
up our agricultural producers' co-operative that year, but
it was still low.
In 1953 I began trying to raise our peanut yield, but
1 experimented without using materialist dialectics, and
*Yao Shih-chang is chairman of the revolutionary committee
of the Tuanchieh Production Brigade, Nanwang Commune in
Penglai County, Shantung Province.
1
failed. Drought hit in the spring of 1958 just when we
started sowing. The soil was dry, and it looked as though
the seeds would not sprout. I had heard about a pro-
duction team using deep ploughing and covering the seed
with only a thin layer of soil. I persuaded our brigade
to use their method, but our output dropped that year.
What was wrong? Our leaders suggested analysing
our experience and drawing lessons from it. I turned
to Chairman Mao's On Practice and On Contradiction.
"Only those who are subjective, one-sided and superficial
in their approach to problems," he says, "will smugly
issue orders or directives the moment they arrive on the

Yao Shih-chang and commune members at peanut

harvest. Yao tells how he applied Chairman Mao's
philosophic thinking to raising the peanut yield.
scene, without considering the circumstances, without
viewing things in their totality (their history and their
present state as a whole) and without getting to the
essence of things (their nature and the internal relations
between one thing and another). Such people are bound
to trip and fall."
Chairman Mao's teaching made me realize that my
mistake was imitating others without considering the
local conditions. That team's land is level and fertile, so
their rows of peanuts can be wide apart. The method
of planting in deep furrows and covering lightly works
well in their situation but not for our brigade, where
the land is hilly and the soil layer thin. Our rows must
be close together. When we ploughed deep, the loose
soil fell into the furrow just dug and buried the seeds.
It amounted to ploughing deep and covering deep, and
this was what caused our output to fall.
Chairman Mao's philosophic thinking helped me to see
that my failure was due to lack of correspondence be-
tween my notion of things and the facts. I was acting
blindly and passively in trying to know the objective
worid. I decided to apply Chairman Mao's philosophic
thinking in future scientific experiments and really in-
crease our peanut output.

W h a t Produces the Peanuts?

I determined to study the growth of peanuts so as to

place our efforts to increase yields on a new basis. How
should I go about this?
I started at the blossoming stage, with the knowledge
that the peanut plant yields pods after the flowers wither.
3
 Yao Shih-chang in the field before dawn, la-
belling each peanut blossom with the date.

But what was the relationship between flower and nut?

I selected t w o clusters of peanut plants f o r field observa-
tion, and stayed i n the field for three nights during the
blossoming stage. I found that peanuts blossom just
before dawn. From the fourth night I went to the field
before dawn each day, and labelled each flower with the
date it blossomed.
I continued doing this for more than twenty days,
including one rainy night when I went only after
struggling with the thought that one night's absence
wouldn't matter much. Then I remembered Chairman
Mao's teaching that the Marxist philosophy of dialectical
materialism has two outstanding characteristics. One is
its class nature: it is in the service of the proletariat. The
other is its practicality. How could I learn the laws
governing the growth of peanuts if I did not apply
Chairman Mao's philosophic ideas, first of all, to think
always of serving the proletariat. I got a good soaking
that night and was chilled through, but I had followed
Chairman Mao's teaching and overcome a difficulty.
From that time on, I persisted in making my observations,
rain or shine. In sixty nights I attached 170 labels to
my two clusters. When the peanuts were dug, I analysed
my data and learned things I never knew before about
peanuts. The time between the opening of the flower
and the ripening of the nut below was at least sixty-five
days. I found also that the first pair of branches was
responsible for most of the nuts.
This was an exciting discovery. The experiment would
need testing, and in fact observation and study the
second year confirmed the conclusions drawn. But
coincidentally I also found that between 60 to 70 per cent
of the pods were produced by the first pair of branches
while 20 to 30 per cent were produced by the second.
The third pair produced only a few pods, and most of
5
those were empty. Further, t h em a i n stem o f t h e plant
bore neither flowers n o rpods a t all.
Having arrived at some laws governing t h egrowth o f
peanuts, I continued experimenting, using these laws t o
increase t h e peanut yield. Obviously, t h ebest should b e
g o t t e n o u t o f t h efirst p a i r o f branches. T o favour them,
shallow sowing w a s preferable, as i t w o u l d facilitate t h e
bearing o f pods b y that first pair o f branches, which
grew a t the base o f the plant. B u t o u r soil w a s generally
dry i n spring. Moreover, such large, oil-rich seeds d i d
not sprout easily. S h a l l o w sowing w o u l d a l l o w t h e seeds
to d r ys o that n o ta l lo f t h e m w o u l d sprout. T h e yield
could scarcely b e increased b y shallow sowing. Since
the principal contradiction w a s between a l l t h e seeds
sprouting and growing well, and not doing so,the method
of shallow sowing w a s out. W e w o u l d s o w t h eseeds as
deep as w a s necessary t o ensure sufficient moisture f o r
sprouting a n d growth.

Deep ploughing having been decided o n ,t h e problem

arose o f t h e first pair o f branches: buried deep i nt h e
soil t h e y w o u l d have little chance o f developing. F o r m -
erly a secondary contradiction, this problem rose t o
primacy. T o s o l v e i t I t u r n e d t o On Contradiction where
C h a i r m a n M a o p o i n t s o u t : "It [ m a t e r i a l i s t dialectics] holds
that external causes are the condition of change and
i n t e r n a l c a u s e s a r e t h e b a s i s of c h a n g e , a n d t h a t e x t e r n a l
causes become operative through internal causes." I
analysed t h a t t h efirst p a i r o f branches, which blossomed
early with m a n y flowers, w a s t h einternal factor i n i n -
creasing output. Deep planting however, would n o t
favour t h ebranches' growth, so their productive poten-
tial w o u l d not b e given full play. These external condi-

6
tions w o u l d tend to restrict yield. Practice provided an
answer.
It came one day w h e n I was helping former poor
peasant W a n g T i e n - y u a n t h i n out glutinous m i l l e t shoots.
I asked h i m w h y w e didn't bank earth a r o u n d t h e m . H e
said, " I f t h e roots are n o t e x p o s e d t o t h e s u n , t h e p l a n t s
won't produce m u c h grain."
It occurred to m e that i fthe m i l l e t shoots branched
off f r o m exposed roots, w h y not w i t h peanuts? W e could
s o w d e e p b u t r e m o v e t h e e a r t h a r o u n d t h e r o o t s so as t o
facilitate t h e i r branching off. I t r i e d t h i s w i t h a cluster
of peanut plants. T h e exposed m a i n stems w e r e w h i t e
a n d t e n d e r , so t h a t t h e r e w a s w a t e r o n m y h a n d w h e n I

An old peasant assists in Yao Shih-

chang's study of the peanuts' development.
rolled them between my fingers. Wouldn't such tender
roots be withered by the sun? Still, I mustn't jump to
conclusions, but see what practice said. I removed the
earth around twenty-two clusters.
To my surprise, not only were the peanut plants not
dry, but the main stems had turned purple and were as
tough as sapling branches. I had found a solution to the
contradiction between deep planting and developing the
first pair of branches. When I discussed this method
with our brigade cadres, they decided to set aside four
small plots for experiment. That autumn we harvested
25 per cent more peanuts from those plots than from the
controls.

Solving Contradictions as They Arise

Applying this method throughout the brigade, we in-
creased our output of peanuts on all 133 hectares quite
substantially. This meant a lot to our brigade, and to
us. Chairman Mao's philosophic thinking had given us
the key of materialist dialectics to solve our problems
in growing peanuts. I went on experimenting in the
spirit of Chairman Mao's teaching: "Man has constantly
to sum up experience and go on discovering, inventing,
creating and advancing."
I found that while each flower stalk (calyx tube) of the
first pair of branches had six or seven flowers, it bore
only one or two pods beneath, showing a contradiction
between the main stem and the branches. The first and
second pairs of branches need more nourishment for
growth, blossoming and bearing pods, but the main stem
drew it away.
8
 I referred again t o t h eprinciple o f transformation o f
c o n t r a d i c t i o n s a s e x p l a i n e d i n C h a i r m a n M a o ' s On Con-
tradiction. I tried cutting o f ft h et o po f t h em a i n stem
to check its o v e r g r o w t h after the second pair o f branches
had grown. T h e result w a sabout as expected: t h e first
pair o f branches blossomed seven days earlier, a n d each
cluster bore seven m o r e pods. T h e following year, o n
an experimental plot, using t h e same irrigation a n d
fertilizer, t h eyield w a s roughly 8 p e r cent more.
Practice i n those t w oyears l e d m e t o t h e conclusion
that i n f a r m work, as i n a l lother, w e m u s t constantly
resolve contradictions. Scientific experiments create t h e
conditions t o transform contradictions i n a direction
favourable t o t h e revolutionary creations o f m a n k i n d .
W e concluded t h a t since things a r ec o n t i n u o u s l y develop-
ing, and since contradictions are b o u n d t o arise f r o m t i m e
to t i m e , so scientific e x p e r i m e n t s m u s t constantly b e
made.
 Applying Philosophy in Transport
by the crew o f a 150-ton t r a i l e r truck, Shanghai

UR group was set up during the Great Proletarian

Cultural Revolution. Our job is transporting giant
equipment all over the country in the service of major
projects. To do this we use a 150-ton trailer made by
the Shanghai workers. It is fourteen metres long and
three metres wide, and gives the impression of a railway
flatcar. Driving this truck and huge trailer with giant
machines and equipment gives us great pride, for we can
see in our load the rapid development of the socialist
construction of our country.
The eight of us used to transport small pieces by light
trucks on smooth city roads. Now we're driving a heavy
vehicle loaded with equipment weighing from one to
two hundred tons. And we drive it over mountains,
small bridges, and steep and narrow roads. We are faced
with difficulties. What do we rely on to overcome them?
On our study of Chairman Mao's philosophic thinking,
which gives us strength and lights the road in our
advance.
Transport workers must be familiar with road condi-
tions. But as we are roving about the country, we often
have to drive on unfamiliar roads. How shall we tackle
this problem? Chairman Mao says: "Correct decisions
stem from correct judgements, and correct judgements
10
stem from a t h o r o u g h a n d n e c e s s a r y r e c o n n a i s s a n c e a n d
from p o n d e r i n g o n a n d p i e c i n g t o g e t h e r t h e d a t a of
various k i n d s g a t h e r e d t h r o u g h r e c o n n a i s s a n c e . " I n
transport as i n f i g h t i n g , w i t h o u t t h enecessary, t h o r o u g h
inspection o f t h e land a n d road surface, t o w o r k o u t a
correct t r a n s p o r t p l a n is o u t o f t h equestion. S o wher-
ever w e g o w e first "reconnoitre" five things: road sur-
face, bridges, t e r r a i n , a n dt h echaracteristics o f t h e e a r t h
and gradients.
Once i n moving a machine weighing more than a
h u n d r e d t o n s i n t h e N o r t h w e s t , w e h a d t o p a s s t h es o -
called "Hell's Cliff," w h e r e t h e r o a d i s f l a n k e d b y a gorge
dozens o f feet deep. According t o t h e local poor a n d
lower-middle peasants a n d drivers, t h e stretch o f road
had been c u t o u t m i d w a y across t h em o u n t a i n , t h e rocks
were badly weathered a n d b i g chunks broke o f f under
strong vibration. W e relied o n t h elocal people f o r help
in finding places w h e r e there w e r e comparatively more
weathered rocks that m i g h t fall. After careful "recon-
naissance," w e drove over t h edangerous r o a d cautiously
and steadily, passed "Hell's Cliff" a n d delivered t h e
equipment.
B u t just k n o w i n g t h e road thoroughly is still n o t
enough. This is because t h econtradictions i n things d o
not reveal themselves fully i n a l lcircumstances. Chair-
m a n M a opoints out: " T h i s is b e c a u s e people e n g a g e d
in c h a n g i n g r e a l i t y a r e u s u a l l y s u b j e c t to n u m e r o u s
l i m i t a t i o n s ; t h e y a r e l i m i t e d not o n l y b y e x i s t i n g s c i e n t i f i c
and t e c h n o l o g i c a l conditions b u t a l s o b y t h e d e v e l o p m e n t
of the objective p r o c e s s itself a n d t h e d e g r e e to w h i c h t h i s
process has b e c o m e m a n i f e s t (the aspects a n d t h e e s s e n c e
of the objective process h a v e not y e t b e e n f u l l y r e v e a l e d ) . "
Thus, w e tried i n t h ecourse o f o u r"reconnaissance" to

u
f i n d those p h e n o m e n a t h a t gave clues t o t h e essence o f
t h e m a t t e r . I n f i g h t i n g , i t is easier t o locate t h e e n e m y ' s
pillboxes than his bunkers, and "active reconnaissance"
m a y reveal the actual situation. W egenerally d o a n
e m p t y r u n o nthe m o s t difficult sections s o as t o l e a r n
w h a t the problems are and b e ready t omeet t h e m .
Another trip was transporting some urgently needed big
equipment t oa worksite i n the Northeast. I twas m i d -
w i n t e r , a n d e v e r y w h e r e w a s s n o w a n d ice, s o t h a t r o a d
a n d r a v i n e seemed one. T h e 110 k i l o m e t r e s w e r e a l l u p
and d o w n over four icy mountains. Slipperiness was
obviously the m a i n contradiction, but m i g h t there not be
other problems? W e tried out the icy road first w i t h
the empty vehicle. W e found w h e r e the road was fairly
safe, a n d a d o p t e d a l l possible a n t i - s k i d m e a s u r e s t o
e n s u r e safe passage o v e r i t .
"Reconnaissance" c a n o n l y expose contradictions,
enable u s t o recognize t h e m . T o resolve t h e m , however,
revolutionary spirit needs to b e integrated w i t h scientific
a p p r o a c h . C h a i r m a n M a o t e a c h e s : "In given conditions,
each of the two contradictory aspects transforms itself
into its opposite." O u r t a s k i s t o "accelerate the trans-
formation of things and achieve the goal of revolution"
o n t h e basis o f sufficient k n o w l e d g e o f t h e contradictions
involved. W e shall tell something of w h a t we've learned
a b o u t "accelerating the transformation of things" f r o m
studying a n d applying Chairman Mao's philosophic
thinking.
T h e lifting apparatus o n o u r t r u c k is light, b u t w e h a v e
to lift equipment as heavy as one h u n d r e d tons, f o r m i n g
a contradiction.
C h a i r m a n M a o t e a c h e s u s : "In war, battles can only
be fought one by one and the enemy forces can only be
12
destroyed one by one. Factories can only be built one
by one. The peasants can only plough the land plot by
plot. The same is even true of eating a meal. Strategi-
cally, we take the eating of a meal lightly — we know we
can finish it. But actually we eat it mouthful by mouth-
ful. It is impossible to swallow an entire banquet in one
gulp. This is known as a piecemeal solution. In mili-
tary parlance, it is called wiping out the enemy forces
one by one." Chairman Mao's words were the key to
the solution.
When we were to load a 130-ton piece of equipment
without a crane hoist, we wondered how we were to do
it until we applied Chairman Mao's concept of "wiping
out the enemy forces one by one." We lifted up one
comer at a time and placed pieces of steel tubing under
each. Then, pulling it with winches, we moved it on
these rollers till it went up a ramp onto the trailer. After
we got to the construction site we unloaded it the same
way. The total weight of big equipment is great, but it's
distributed over a large area. By lifting one part at a
time, we ended up lifting the whole, while the rollers
decreased the moving weight by reducing friction. Thus
what was inferior in our loading apparatus on the whole
became superior in a part. Such experience repeated
helped us to understand many of the laws of loading,
and enabled us to handle heavy items as if they were
light.
Contradictions also occur between the carrying capacity
of our vehicle and the much greater weight of the load.
When serving the No. 9424 construction project, we had
a blast furnace 10.5 m. in diameter and 34.5 m. high to
transport. It weighed 280 tons, twice the carrying capacity
of our truck. It was 2.5 times its length and almost
13
three times i t swidth. I t was like trying t o make a n
elephant stand on a ball, w e thought, and wondered h o w
o u r t r u c k could support it, let alone c a r r y it. S o m e said,
" W e ' l l have t o m a k e a 300-ton trailer, o r else take t h e
furnace apart and m o v e i t section b y section."
Most o fu sthought w e could do i tw i t h w h a t w e had,
w i t h o u t t a k i n g i t a p a r t . C h a i r m a n M a o t e a c h e s u s : "In
his endeavour to win a war, a military strategist cannot
overstep the limitations imposed by the material condi-
tions; within these limitations, however, he can and must
strive for victory. The stage of action for a military
strategist is built upon objective material conditions, but
on that stage he can direct the performance of many a
drama, full of sound and colour, power and grandeur."
The same istrue i n transporting huge equipment. I n the
past w e carried loads o f f o r t y o r f i f t y tons o na 2 0 - t o n
truck, a n d had even m o v e d a piece of e q u i p m e n t w e i g h i n g
almost a h u n d r e d tons o n a 6 0 - t o n trailer. I n fact, u n t i l
the Cultural Revolution w e had no 150-ton trailer. W h e n
we reviewed our experience i n the light o f Chairman
Mao's philosophic t h i n k i n g , w e realized that once w e
k n e w and mastered the objective laws governing it, and
brought our subjective initiative into play, w e w o u l d b e
able t o m a k e f u l l use o f t h e e x i s t i n g objective m a t e r i a l
conditions.
The contradiction between the load and the carrying
capacity o four truck was solved by adding another t r a i l -
er o n t o a w i d e one w i t h 3 2 w h e e l s , c o u p l i n g i t i n a t a n -
dem arrangement between the truck and big trailer. W e
adjusted the length o f the w h o l e t o the length o f the
furnace and added some saddle-shaped supports i n f r o n t
and back t o h o l d i t steady. T h e "elephant standing o n a
ball" became a n "elephant lying o n flatcars."
14
 Hauling a large refining unit over a bridge.

Then came another contradiction, that between the

load limit of an ordinary bridge and the great weight of
big equipment loaded on the big trailer truck. Once when
we were taking a 120-ton item to an engineering project,
we had sixteen concrete bridges to cross. Each had a
load limit of thirteen tons for trucks and sixty tons for
caterpillar tractors. How were we to get our 120-ton
load over them? Some bridge engineers and technicians
said it couldn't be done, that the bridges would give way.
We decided to analyse this contradiction before trying to
find a solution. Chairman Mao says: "When we look
at a thing, we must examine its essence and treat its
appearance merely as an usher at the threshold, and once
we cross the threshold, we must grasp the essence of the
thing; this is the only reliable and scientific method of
analysis."
15
 We concluded that three factors were in our favour:
First, a bridge with a load limit of thirteen tons for
trucks could bear the weight of a 60-ton caterpillar tractor
because the tractor's large treads distribute its weight over
a greater area of the bridge surface than do the truck's
tyres. This realization was for us the "usher at the
threshold." Our rig is long and wide and has fifty-six
tyres. This gives it three times as much contact with
the bridge as the caterpillar tractor. Thus, though the
weight of our loaded truck is greater than that of the
tractor, it would have about the same weight per unit
area.
Second, the weight per unit area is affected by the
speed of the truck. Driving slowly would reduce the
vibration and strain on the bridge.
Third, investigation showed that all the bridges were
in good condition, and actually quite strong. Our analy-
sis led us to the conclusion that a bridge that could take
a 60-ton caterpillar tractor could stand the weight of our
120-ton load. But we also thought: Chairman Mao and
the Party have given us the task of transporting for this
important project; we can't be just 80 or DO per cent sure,
we must be 100 per cent sure. We asked the local authori-
ties to mobilize the people and strengthen the weaker
bridges and, on the day we passed through, the local
comrades worked hard alongside us to see that our truck
and its huge load got across all the bridges all right.
Sharp curves on the mountain roads add to our prob-
lems. Just imagine getting our giant truck and its
loaded long tail around hairpin curves! At a place called
"Hell's Gate" there was a sharp turn on a downgrade
just before an upturn. The turning radius was 10 m.;
16
our trailer truck with the added tractor needed at least
10.4 m.
Some suggested detaching the tractor, but would that
leave enough pulling power? Suppose the truck got
stuck at the turn, or fell over the cliff. Chairman Mao
points out in On Contradiction that "of the two contra-
dictory aspects, one must be principal and the other sec-
ondary. The principal aspect is the one playing the
leading role in the contradiction." We saw that in the
contradiction between the length of the truck-with-tractor
and the short radius of the turn, the former was the
principal aspect. This is because the radius of the turn
is fixed, but the length of the tractor-truck can be
adjusted. The contradiction could be solved if we short-
ened the turning radius of our vehicle to 10 m. or less.
Therefore we decided to keep the tractor close to the
truck and run the truck at full throttle so that it would
take the curve mainly on its own power.
But another thing had to be taken into consideration
in getting around a curve like "Hell's Gate," and that
was that in taking the outer edge of the road one row
of wheels (our trailer has seven axles with eight wheels
on each) would be over the edge for an instant. Would
this be dangerous? We figured it wouldn't, that the
truck's power forward would maintain the centre of
gravity and keep the remaining wheels steady even if
the outer wheels hung over.
After a thorough study and full preparations, we
started the truck. The driver kept a firm grip on the
steering wheel, the head of our crew directed calmly and
coolly, while the rest of us watched the wheels. Every-
thing worked out as we planned and we passed success-
fully through "Hell's Gate."
17
 Transporting equipment over eighteen provinces, mu-
nicipalities and autonomous regions of the country, we
have seen great changes. We've seen industries grow up
all over the place where there were none before, and not
just along the coast, as in old China. It makes us feel
that we've got a lot more work ahead for our trailer-
truck and that we'll need a lot more study of Chairman
Mao's philosophic works to do it better.

18
 Weather Keepers for the Revolution
by Chungtso County Weather Station Workers,
Kwangsi Chuang Autonomous Region

T HE seven of us at this weather station are all young.

Some studied meteorology in university, others
learned weather forecasting in technical schools or special
training classes. Most of us came here after 1964, without
experience. But the poor and lower-middle peasants
depended on us very much for weather forecasting and
said we were to be their "weather keepers."
We, too, were enthusiastic revolutionaries, but because
we had been influenced by the revisionist line in educa-
tion, we knew only what was in our books, and our
forecasts were either late or inaccurate, or both. Once
there was a cold wave followed by thirteen days of rain.
But we had forecast ten days of fine weather, so that
early rice was sown. The result was that the rice shoots
rotted, spring planting was affected, and the commune
members were not satisfied with our work.
Our mistakes and setbacks taught us that in order to
forecast well we must solve the contradiction between
man and the weather. Chairman Mao teaches us that
"it is people, not things, that are decisive." We must
appreciate the close relationship between our work and
socialist construction, that our work serves proletarian
19
politics. W e determined t oobserve w i n d a n d cloud f o r
t h e r e v o l u t i o n , t o b ew e a t h e r k e e p e r s for the people.

L e a r n i n g f r o m t h e Peasants

Following Chairman Mao's teaching that correct ideas

" c o m e f r o m social p r a c t i c e , a n d f r o m i t a l o n e ; t h e y come
f r o m t h r e e k i n d s of s o c i a l p r a c t i c e , t h e s t r u g g l e for p r o -
duction, t h e class s t r u g g l e a n d s c i e n t i f i c e x p e r i m e n t , " w e
w e n t t o t h ec o u n t r y s i d e f o r r e - e d u c a t i o n b yt h e p o o r a n d
lower-middle peasants a n dt o learn f r o m t h e m h o w t h e y
watched the weather.
T h e p o o r a n dl o w e r - m i d d l e p e a s a n t s welcomed us.A n
old poor peasant o fseventy said, " I n t h e o l d society I
w a s n ' t b a d a t w e a t h e r forecasting, b u tI c o u l d n ' t tell h o w

Young weather keepers invite an old peasant to

tell them his experience in weather forecasting.

20
I did it, or the landlord might have profited from it.
Today we work for the revolution and I'll tell you every-
thing I know." He gave us more than fifty pointers in
weather forecasting.
With the poor and lower-middle peasants as our
teachers we got 340 pointers, including a lot of common
sense summed up in folk sayings. We learned how the
peasants interpret sky conditions, such as a foggy morning
turning into a sunny day, and also forecasting from insect
movements. We learned to watch for ants moving their
hills, worms coming up out of the earth, and dragonflies
flying low. By using the peasants' experience in combina-
tion with our book knowledge, we increased the accuracy
of our forecasting considerably, which in turn increased
our confidence in and reliance on the masses. We set up
eight forecasting groups of experienced peasants in the
county, and made a practice of asking their advice in our
work.

Studying the Laws of Weather Changes

We further applied Chairman Mao's teaching about
"discarding the dross and selecting the essential, eliminat-
ing the false and retaining the true, proceeding from the
one to the other and from the outside to the inside,"
and put our knowledge into practice, summed up ex-
perience, made analyses in the light of Chairman Mao's
philosophic concepts, and formulated theories. We found
our forecasting was further facilitated.
For example, beginning on May 15, 1969, there was
moderate rain over the county for three days running,
followed by warm days and cold nights. We checked our
21
data against a n old f o l k saying t h a t " w h e n the days are
w a r m and the nights cold, the East S e adries u p , " a n d
n o t e d t h a t as a r u l e i f b e t w e e n M a y a n d S e p t e m b e r a r a i n
was followed by variation i n day and night temperatures
of m o r e t h a n t e n degrees, there w o u l d b e a l o n g d r y
p e r i o d . W e f o r e c a s t d r o u g h t , so t h a t t h e c o m m u n e m e m -
bers stored a n d saved w a t e r , a n d i n fact t h e d r o u g h t came.
As revolution and production developed, the poor and
l o w e r - m i d d l e peasants requested m o r e accurate forecasts
of such pronounced w e a t h e r changes as t y p h o o n and cold
w a v e , and to m a k e our forecasts far e n o u g h ahead of t h e
change to enable t h e m to p l a n their production well. T h i s
presented us w i t h a challenge.
Cold w a v e s are a t h r e a t t o e a r l y rice seedlings, a n d t o
forecast t h e i r onset w e m a d e investigations a m o n g t h e o l d
peasants and t o o k i n t o consideration t h e i r saying t h a t
"when the south wind blows hard, the north wind will
return the visit." W e studied C h a i r m a n Mao's teaching
t h a t "in given conditions, each of the two opposing aspects
of a contradiction invariably transforms itself into its
opposite as a result of the struggle between them," i n
referring to our data. A contest b e t w e e n a cold and a hot
air current usually resulted i n a strong south w i n d . W h a t
were the conditions leading t othe transformation into a
cold w a v e ? W e f o u n d that i f the w i n d f r o m the s o u t h
during the day was stronger t h a n f o u r metres per second
(14.4 k i l o m e t r e s a n h o u r ) a n d k e p t u p f r o m f o u r t o s i x
days, i t gave rise t o its opposite a n d a cold w a v e f o l l o w e d .
W e w e n t o n t o determine variables i n these conditions,
a n d h o w l o n g t h e cold spell w o u l d last. O u r accuracy i n
forecasting cold w a v e s w a s n i n e o u t o f eleven t i m e s i n
1969, a n d s e v e n o u t o f e i g h t t i m e s i n 1970.

22
 Over the years we have often met with such a situation:
when typhoons hit Kwangsi, our county either had heavy
rain with gale-force winds, gales but no rain, heavy rain
without gale, or was sometimes unaffected. Why? We
studied this teaching of Chairman Mao: "It [materialist
dialectics] holds that external causes are the condition of
change and internal causes are the basis of change, and
that external causes become operative through internal
causes." We carefully examined the meteorological data
we had accumulated over the past twelve years and the
peasants' long experience, and found that the effects of
the typhoon are determined by the internal causes of
local meteorological factors, chiefly humidity. In July
1969, for example, when our county was busy fighting a
drought, the regional weather service forecast medium to
heavy rain in southern Kwangsi in the wake of an
approaching typhoon. But in our county the humidity
was not high, and provided no condition for heavy rain.
We did not forecast rain, so that the county's timely fight
against drought was not halted.
The poor and lower-middle peasants, from their long
struggle with nature, have discovered many interconnec-
tions in weather changes. For example they say "a dry
winter means a wet spring," and "a cold winter means
a warm spring," and that "a long spell of good weather
is sure to be followed by a continuous rain, and vice
versa," also that "when the moon is covered by clouds
during the Moon Festival (the 15th day of the eighth
lunar month), it will rain on the 15th day of the first
lunar month." From these interconnections they had
drawn certain laws of weather changes.
We compared these connections with our meteorological
data over twelve years. Our monthly charts revealed that
2.3
 Taking careful note o f changes in weather.

interconnections of this sort occurred each 180 days. With

this as basis, and considering other relevant factors, we
diagrammed the weather pattern for each 180-day period.
Thus we achieved our accurate forecasts of heavy rain
nine times out of eleven in 1969.
Still, our diagram only helped in forecasting rain, not
the amount of it. Chairman Mao teaches us: "Often,
correct knowledge can be arrived at only after many
repetitions of the process leading from matter to con-
sciousness and then back to matter, that is, leading from
practice to knowledge and then back to practice." To
determine the amount, we collected data on heavy rains
during July and August from 1963 to 1969, carefully
analysed the weather preceding the 180-day period, for-
mulated some general laws and then charted the heavy
24
rains, w h i c h helped i n forecasting t h evolume o f t h e
rainfall.

Applying Knowledge to Practice

C h a i r m a n M a o p o i n t s o u t : "Marxist philosophy holds

that the most important problem does not lie in under-
standing the laws of the objective world and thus being
able to explain it, but in applying the knowledge of these
laws actively to change the world." W e f o l l o w e d t h i s
teaching, a p p l y i n g o u r k n o w l e d g e o f the la ws o f w e a t h e r
changes t o o u r w o r k , testing o u r forecasting a n d s u m -
ming u p our experience, not o n l y t o serve agriculture,
but to serve industrial and other departments as w e l l .
O u r accurate forecast one August day w h e n i t looked
like rain i n the m o r n i n g but did not actually rain until
three i n t h e afternoon enabled a production brigade,
a n x i o u s t o a v o i d seed sprouting, to s u n t h e i r rice w i t h o u t
w o r r y that day.
One night a t 1 1 o'clock w e f o u n d t h a t a r a i n s t o r m
was coming and warned a r a i l w a y station t o cover e x -
posed goods. Hotels a n d hostels u s e o u r forecasts i n
planning their laundry, while transport departments con-
sult our advance weather forecasts i n loading and u n -
loading, and arranging routes. N o w the people of C h u n g -
tso C o u n t y say t h a t w e " r e a l l y t a k e care o f t h e w e a t h e r ! "

25
 K e e p i n g Vegetables Fresh
by the Peking Chungwen District Vegetable Station
Scientific Experiment Group

A S fresh vegetables o f increasing v a r i e t y h a v e o c -

cupied a greater place i n t h e Chinese people's diet,
the contradiction between the seasonal n a t u r e o f these
vegetables and t h e steady d e m a n d o f t h e m a r k e t became
marked. D u r i n g t h e h e i g h t o f t h e season, vegetables
o f t e n w e n t bad, w h i l e i n o f f seasons t h e s u p p l y could n o t
meet the demand. T o solve this contradiction, i t became
necessary t o store surplus vegetables, keep t h e m f r e s h
a n d s u p p l y t h e m a r k e t i n o f f seasons.
W e tackled t h e p r o b l e m f r o m t w o sides: one w a s t o
w o r k i n close c o - o p e r a t i o n w i t h vegetable-producing
communes and brigades i n t h e suburbs; the other w a s t o
mobilize t h e comrades o f our station t o solve certain
problems i n storing perishable vegetables. I n 1968 w e
f o r m e d a three-in-one scientific experiment group o f
cadres, w o r k e r s a n d t e c h n i c a l p e r s o n n e l , w i t h w o r k e r s
as t h e m a i n f o r c e , a n d s e t o u t t o u s e t h e p h i l o s o p h i c
teachings o f C h a i r m a n M a o t o help solve these problems
t h r o u g h scientific experiment.

Three Tomatoes
W e focused o n tomatoes, k n o w n a m o n g t r u c k gardeners
as t h e " o v e r n i g h t h e a d a c h e , " b e c a u s e o f t h e i r p e r i s h a b i l -
26
ity. W e tried storing them, and one day discovered three
of o u r tomatoes still w e l l preserved a f t e r m o r e t h a n a
m o n t h . W h y had t h e rest spoiled? Here, C h a i r m a n Mao's
t e a c h i n g t h a t i t i s " i n the particularity of contradiction
that the universality of contradiction resides" g a v e t h e
clue. I f t h r e e t o m a t o e s c o u l d b e p r e s e r v e d f o r o v e r a
m o n t h , i t s h o u l d b e possible t o preserve a l l of t h e m . T h e
conditions under w h i c h t h e three tomatoes had been
stored w e r e : l o w t e m p e r a t u r e , a certain h u m i d i t y and
good v e n t i l a t i o n . T h e s e conditions h a d s l o w e d d o w n
metabolism i nthe tomatoes and prolonged their period
of w h o l e s o m e n e s s .
In other words, controlled temperature, h u m i d i t y and
ventilation kept the tomatoes living longer. H i g h t e m -
perature and h u m i d i t y caused rot, w h i l e too l o w a t e m -

Two of the experimental group discuss temperature

and humidity as factors affecting tomato storage.

27
perature spoiled t h e m b y freezing. T o ob r i s k ventilation
dried t h e m a n dmade them lose their freshness. W h a t
was needed w a s t o handle t h erelations a m o n g t h e three
conditions well. W e turned t o Chairman Mao's teaching
t h a t " i n s t u d y i n g a n y c o m p l e x process i n w h i c h t h e r e a r e
two or m o r e c o n t r a d i c t i o n s , w e m u s t devote e v e r y effort
to f i n d i n g its p r i n c i p a l c o n t r a d i c t i o n . Once this principal
contradiction is grasped, all problems can be readily
solved." W e analysed t h ethree basic conditions o f tem-
perature, h u m i d i t y and ventilation and experimented with
different relationships. T h econtradiction between tem-
perature and ventilation w a sapparently the principal one.
Therefore, w e took measures t om a i n t a i n the correct tem-
perature i n t h e storage cellar. Then w e turned t ot h e
problems of humidity a n d ventilation. B y correctly
h a n d l i n g t h er e l a t i o n b e t w e e n t h eprincipal contradiction
and others, that year w e succeeded i n storing four
hundred tons o f tomatoes i n J u l y f o rs a l e i n l a t e r months.
Thus w e took a first step i n solving t h e contradiction
between the seasonal nature o f tomatoes a n dt h e c o n s t a n t
demand o f t h emarket. Though w e h a dsome success i n
preserving tomatoes, w e d i d n o tk n o w much about their
metabolism, that is, t h elaws of t h einner contradictions
of tomatoes. W e realized that i t w a s n o tenough t op a y
attention t o external conditions such as temperature,
h u m i d i t y a n dv e n t i l a t i o n . More important w a st o master
the laws o f the inner changes taking place i nthe tomatoes
under storage, so that w e could preserve large quantities
and popularize o u rm e t h o d s . Guided b y Chairman Mao's
philosophic thinking, w e further explored t h elaws gov-
erning these inner contradictions. W e noted that even
in the same basket, tomatoes u n d e r w e n t different changes.
T h o s e o n t o pr i p e n e d q u i c k l y a n dc o u l d n ' t b e s t o r e d long.

23
while those beneath ripened slowly and could b e stored
longer. N o t i n g this, w e understood better t h e m e t a b o l i s m
that went o n i n the tomatoes for a certain period after
t h e y w e r e p i c k e d , t h a t is, t h e y w e n t o n g i v i n g o f f c a r b o n
dioxide and taking i n oxygen. Basing on this, w e con-
tinued our experiments, using n e w methods t o control
the respiration and metabolism of tomatoes, to m a k e t h e m
take a t u r n favourable to lengthening the t i m e w e could
preserve t h e m and improving their quality. T h e result
was that w e turned the "overnight headache" into a "one-
hundred-day-fresh."

Success in storing tomatoes has ensured

the Pel<ing market an all-season supply.

29
 Solving the Particular Contradiction
of Onions
O u r success i n p r e s e r v i n g t o m a t o e s g a v e u s c o n f i d e n c e
and inspiration t o tackle the problem o f storing other
perishable vegetables. W e experimented w i t h onions.
T h e y are a bulb, v e r y n u t r i t i o u s but apt to sprout, become
hollow and rot w h e n stored for a long time.
To prevent sprouting, w e first tried the same method
as f o r p r e s e r v i n g t o m a t o e s , t h a t i s , b y c o n t r o l l i n g t e m -
perature, h u m i d i t y and ventilation. I t didn't w o r k . T h e
onions w e r e all r i g h t asl o n g ast h e y w e r e i n cold storage,
but they sprouted all the quicker w h e n they were taken
o u t . W e s t u d i e d C h a i r m a n M a o ' s t e a c h i n g : "Unless we
study the particularity of contradiction, we have no way
of determining the particular essence of a thing which
differentiates it from other things, no way of discovering
the particular cause or particular basis for the movement
or development of a thing, and no way of distinguishing
one thing from another or of demarcating the fields of
science." W i t h t h i s a s o u r g u i d e , w e s p e c i f i c a l l y a n a l y s e d
the characteristics o f onions' changes after t h e y w e r e
picked and f o u n d that, different f r o m tomatoes, t h e y
sprouted only after undergoing a dormant period. W h i l e
a l o w temperature could prevent t h e m f r o m sprouting
temporarily, i tdidn't solve the contradictions f u n d a m e n -
tally. T h e y sprouted as soon as they w e r e out o f the
cold storage a n d i n a suitable t e m p e r a t u r e .
W e t r i e d s o m e t h i n g else. I n s t e a d o f s t o r i n g a t a c o n -
trolled t e m p e r a t u r e i n t h e cellar, w e sprayed a chemical
o n the shoots i n the field before harvest. O n i o n s t h u s
treated did not sprout, and storage t i m e could b e e x -
tended. O u r success w i t h e x p e r i m e n t s o n a s m a l l scale
30
was popularized in the communes and brigades in the
suburbs. But unexpected problems arose. Some of the
chemically-treated onions still sprouted. The chemical,
strength of the solution, and amount were all the same,
why were the results different? We went to the fields
to do careful investigation and analysis and found that
dryness prevented absorption of the chemical, while rain
washed it out. Besides harvesting time and cultivating
methods, many factors affected the chemical treatment.
With this understanding of how to use the chemical, we
co-operated with the communes and brigades in over-
coming the unfavourable factors affecting the chemical.
We succeeded in solving the problem of onion sprouting,
and supplied the market the whole year round.

Storing Cabbage
Chinese cabbage, a leafy vegetable, is stored in large
quantities by the state, collectives and households every
year. But some leaves fall off or go bad before being
stored very long. Spoilage sometimes reached 40 per cent.
At first we didn't know why cabbage kept or spoiled
and could only take routine measures of storing and
turning. Later, we went to a suburban production bri-
gade and learned that experienced farmers estimated the
temperature of the storage cellars according to how it felt
on their ears, while they tested the ventilation by smell-
ing. The brigade was thus able to maintain optimum
storage conditions. Enlightened by their experience, we
found that Chinese cabbage is a live organic whole.
Though stored, the cabbages went on giving off carbon
dioxide and taking in oxygen, that is, their metabolism
31
continued. Insufficient ventilation caused rot. W e set
about experimenting a n d collecting data. A t t h e begin-
ning o f t h e storage period, t h ee n d o f November, w h e n
the relatively high temperature caused r o t ,w e turned
the cabbages often a n d opened t h e door t o lower t h e
temperature o f t h estorage cellar. A t t h emiddle o ft h e
storage period, i n freezing weather, t h elowest tempera-
ture would freeze them, so w e ventilated a n d turned
them during t h ewarmest part o f t h ed a y so as t o keep
the temperature a r o u n d zero. A t t h ee n do f t h e storage
period, after t h ecabbages h a dbeen kept f o ra long time,
and as t h e temperature i n t h e storage cellar gradually
rose, t h e y s p r o u t e d readily. Then w e kept t h e tempera-
ture down. W e also used a chemical t o prevent t h e m
from sprouting. I n this w a y w e reduced t h e damage.
Chairman M a o s a y s : " P r o c e s s e s change, o l d processes
and old contradictions d i s a p p e a r , n e w processes a n d n e w
contradictions e m e r g e , a n d t h e m e t h o d s of r e s o l v i n g c o n -
tradictions differ a c c o r d i n g l y . " After solving the primary
p r o b l e m o f rot, t h esecondary problem, that o f leaf shed-
ding, became t h eprincipal contradiction. W e again used
chemical t r e a t m e n t a n dsolved this contradiction, b u tw e
n o t i c e d t h a t t h ec a b b a g e s t r e a t e d w i t h t h ec h e m i c a l were
easily damaged. Analysis showed that t h echemical i n -
creased their ability t o hold water. T h et r e a t e d cabbages
were fresh b u t delicate, so that damage a n d resulting
contamination were a p t t o occur. T h eo l dw a y s o f turn-
ing, piling u p a n d ventilating w o u l d not d o for chemically-
treated cabbage. W eadjusted the amount o f the chemical,
and changed t h ew a yo f piling u p a n dt h et u r n i n g t i m e ,
according t o t h elength o f storage time. T h eresult w a s
that r o t w a s decreased, preserving time considerably

32
lengthened, and the popular demand for fresh cabbage in
winter was met.
After our successful experiments in keeping tomatoes,
onions and Chinese cabbage fresh, we worked with other
vegetables such as sweet peppers, cauliflower, potatoes
and garlic. Some common rules for storing succulent and
leafy vegetables, and tubers, were arrived at and we thus
solved some of the problems involved in bringing fresh
vegetables to the tables of more people in all seasons.

33
 Patients with Broken Backs
Walk Again
by the Peking Hospital of Traditional Medicine,
Paraplegia Group

OpatientsURMarchparaplegia multiple treatment group, formed in

1969, was specially charged with treating
with traumatic paraplegia (paralysis of the lower
part of the body caused by injury).
Guided by Chairman Mao's philosophic thinking and
his idea of combining Chinese traditional and Western
medicine, we have had initial success in curing this "in-
curable" condition.
Of the 151 paraplegia patients we have treated in the
past three years, 124 can now walk with crutches, while
15 get about without any aid. Eight have gone back to
work.

Curing the "Incurable"

Traumatic paralysis of the lower part of the body is
caused by a fall or other accident resulting in fracture
of the patient's spine and damage to the nerves of the
spinal cord. The patients became bed-ridden, and in time
suffered from muscle atrophy, incontinence and bed-
sores. Bourgeois medical "authorities" routinely pro-
34
nounced traumatic paraplegia "incurable." A f t e r China's
l i b e r a t i o n i n 1949, r e v o l u t i o n a r y m e d i c a l w o r k e r s m a d e
great efforts t o correct this condition, b u t L i u Shao-chi's
pernicious counter-revolutionary revisionist line i n m e d -
ical and h e a l t h w o r k interfered, and t h e i r efforts w e r e
futile.
Then, during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,
w e criticized this hindrance of the L i u Shao-chi revisionist
l i n e i n m e d i c a l a n d h e a l t h w o r k , r a i s i n g o u r class c o n -
sciousness i n the process. W e w e r e eager to relieve t r a u -
matic paraplegia patients o f their suffering, b u t w e r e
doubtful w h e t h e r the condition could really b e cured.
After studying Chairman Mao's philosophic teaching
t h a t "the movement of change in the world of objective
reality is never-ending and so is man's cognition of truth
through practice," w e r e a l i z e d t h a t m a n ' s k n o w l e d g e i n
curing illness has also developed t h r o u g h practice f r o m
ignorance, a n d passed f r o m little to substantial k n o w l e d g e .
" I n c u r a b l e " illnesses o f t h e past are curable today. C o n -
sidered f r o m the dialectical-materialist v i e w p o i n t no dis-
ease i n t h e w o r l d i s absolutely i n c u r a b l e . T h o s e w h o are
determined t o learn t h r o u g h practice can grasp the l a w s
of o v e r c o m i n g diseases step b y step i n t h e course of s t r u g -
gle against t h e m .
Clinical e x p e r i e n c e s h o w s t h e loss o f m o t o r f u n c t i o n
and the incontinence as resulting f r o m badly damaged
spinal nerves. But, not all the nerves are damaged, and
efforts should b e directed a t m a k i n g the patient's u n -
damaged spinal nerves p l a y t h e i r m a x i m u m role, a n d also
at restoring the f u n c t i o n o f t h e damaged nerves as f a r
as p o s s i b l e .
Following C h a i r m a n Mao's teaching to combine Chinese
traditional and W e s t e r n medical practice, w e availed o u r -
35
 selves o f m o d e r n k n o w l e d g e of t h e nerves, muscles a n d
skeletal f r a m e and adopted t w o traditional methods of
treatment: acupuncture, and Chinese traditional drugs.
A t the same time, the patients kept u p reasonable func-
tional exercise u n d e r doctors' supervision. Extended
clinical practice has revealed some n e w acupuncture
points. A traditional medicine w i t h appropriate toxicant
ingredients has been developed a n d f u n c t i o n a l exercises
of t h e l i m b s h a v e been w o r k e d o u t f o r t h e e a r l y stage.
These measures have v i r t u a l l y changed "incurable" into
curable.

Real Knowledge Comes from Practice

W e started out using ordinary therapeutic acupuncture,

but got n o appreciable results. T h i s a c u p u n c t u r e m e t h o d
obviously did not conform w i t h the law of curing trau-
matic paraplegia, a n d n e w m e t h o d s m u s t be f o u n d . A t
that t i m e the People's L i b e r a t i o n A r m y was getting good
results w i t h strong needling for overcoming the after-
effects o f i n f a n t i l e paralysis, a n d t h e i r w o r k g r e a t l y i n -
spired us. I f w e c o u l d f i n d a c u p u n c t u r e p o i n t s t h a t w o u l d
transmit a very strong stimulus to the spinal nerves,
m i g h t that not facilitate m o t o r f u n c t i o n ? W e discussed
the possibility, and thought i t w o u l d . C o m b i n i n g acu-
puncture w i t h modern knowledge concerning the nervous
system, w e began to formulate a n e w medical treatment:
deep needling at the spinal nerve root.
I n our search for n e w acupuncture points w e m a d e a
practice of needling o n ourselves or o n each other. A
comrade medical w o r k e r had the needle inserted at his
36

t
 Acupuncture treatment for a girl who broke her back.

w a i s t i n t h e a r e a o f t h e s p i n a l c o r d . A t t h r e e cun* h e
reported a feeling of c o m b i n e d soreness, s w e l l i n g , h e a v i -
ness a n d n u m b n e s s t h a t w a s t r a n s m i t t e d d o w n t h e t h i g h .
The muscle of his thigh quivered, and he perspired. The
comrade inserting the needle asked w h e t h e r he shouldn't
w i t h d r a w the needle, b u t he said f i r m l y : " I n s e r t deeper!"
A t f o u r cun h e e x p e r i e n c e d a n e x c e l l e n t n e e d l i n g s e n s a -
tion, and a n e w point had been found i n treating trau-

* I n acupuncture, the depth t o w h i c h the needle i s inserted

v a r i e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p a t i e n t ' s size. T h e t e r m cun i s u s e d t o
measure this depth. W h e n the patient f o r m s a ring b y j o i n i n g
his middle finger to his t h u m b , the inside distance between the
s e c o n d a n d t h i r d j o i n t s o f t h e m i d d l e f i n g e r i s o n e eun.

37
 matic paraplegia. We used this new point in clinical
practice with good results in restoring sensation and the
power of movement in the lower limbs.
In order to bolster the therapeutic effect, we summed
up experience in using drugs in such cases and decided
to add a spinal nerve stimulant to the ingredients of the
traumatic paraplegia pills. But, as the nerve stimulant
is highly toxic, the amount must be determined with the
greatest accuracy. We tried taking doses of the drug
ourselves in order to determine its properties, safe dosage,
and physiological effect. After repeated experiments we
arrived at a formula that satisfied the requirements.
Next was the question of exercise. Can patients be
given functional exercises in the early stage of treat-
ment? We didn't know. Western practitioners stressed
absolute bed rest for two or three months for patients
with fracture of the spinal column, and Chinese tradi-
tional orthopaedists also favoured a hundred days' im-
mobilization. Clinical practice, however, gradually gave
us new understanding of this question.
A veteran worker, Tung Shan-yun, was admitted to our
hospital twenty-four days after injury. On admission
he needed help even to turn over in bed. Conventional
treatment would have been absolute bed rest. Actually,
though bed rest is necessary for fracture reduction, pro-
longed immobilization causes muscle atrophy, joint stiff-
ness and general deterioration of the patient's health.
There was contradiction between reducing the fracture
and functional recovery. We recognized that relative in-
activity was indicated in view of the patient's damaged
spine. This was the principal aspect of the contradiction.
Still, when the fracture was reduced to a certain degree,
the recovery of function became more important. If we
38
let t h e patient do appropriate f u n c t i o n a l exercises f a i r l y
early, t h e y w o u l d favour b o n y u n i o n and the patient's
general health. Muscle atrophy and other undesirable
effects of p r o l o n g e d i n a c t i v i t y w o u l d be avoided.
W e studied the experience of veteran Chinese tradi-
t i o n a l orthopaedists a n d also t h a t o f o r t h o p a e d i c s u r g e o n s
of t h e W e s t e r n school. W e w e n t t o medical reference
b o o k s o n s u c h cases. W e l e a r n e d t h a t t h e f i b r o u s u n i o n
of t h e b r o k e n vertebrae u s u a l l y takes place t w o w e e k s
after a fracture, t h a t t h e soft tissues heal even sooner.
O n t h e basis o f this, added t o o u r o w n practice, w e w o r k e d
out a treatment plan combining acupuncture, traditional
medicine and early functional exercise. O n t h e t h i r t y -
eighth day after this veteran worker's i n j u r y w e let h i m
w a l k holding onto his w h e e l chair. Events proved that
this m e t h o d n o t o n l y facilitated a m b u l a t i o n , b u t also b u i l t
up his health, w h i c h i n t u r n was beneficial to fracture
reduction. Later, w e applied this experience i n treating
a patient, L i J u i - y u n , whose spinal c o l u m n was i n j u r e d
at t h e neck, chest a n d waist. H e h a d b e e n i n bed f o r
two months prior to admission to our hospital. Accord-
ing to o u r old practice, t h e patient s h o u l d be k e p t i n
bed for f r o m t h r e e t o six m o n t h s . B u t w e p u t h i m o n
functional exercises i m m e d i a t e l y o n admission. A f t e r t w o
months of treatment he could w a l k f o r t y metres w i t h o u t
any aid.

Help the Patient to Help Himself

T r a u m a t i c paraplegia patients h a v e b e e n k n o w n t o lose

all confidence i n treatment, because of t h e r e q u i r e d long
39
 immobilization which results in serious damage to func-
tional capacity, not to mention the mental strain of con-
sidering oneself an invalid for life.
After studying Chairman Mao's teaching: "It [material-
ist dialectics] holds that external causes are the condition
of change and internal causes are the basis of change, and
that external causes become operative through internal
causes," our medical group recognized medical treatment
as only the external factor. We must strengthen the in-
ternal factor, that is, the patients' confidence that they
could overcome their disease for the revolution. Medical
treatment required the patient's display of initiative,
which bolsters the therapeutic effects of the acupuncture
and the medicine.
Chairman Mao says that "each thing in its movement
is interrelated with and interacts on the things around
it." A disease affecting a certain part of the body in-
fluences other parts, while on the other hand, the con-
dition of the general health affects the pathologic process.
Functional exercise for the patients is important for build-
ing up their health, and activating function of vital organs
and the tissues.
Our patients have overcome many difficulties, and with
firm will to make revolution, they perform the functional
exercises. There were difficulties. Some patients had
pain during the exercise, while some even felt faint or
nauseous when they got out of bed for the first time.
But, in order to return to work as early as possible, they
have gained confidence, not only that they can sit up,
but also that they can stand beside the bed. The next
step was to practise walking. At first it was very diffi-
cult for them to move their feet, because the function
of the limbs was only just recovered. But, reciting the
40
t e a c h i n g o f C h a i r m a n M a o : " B e resolute, fear n o s a c r i f i c e
and s u r m o u n t e v e r y difficulty to w i n v i c t o r y , " t h e y kept
up their daily functional exercise. Their improvement

Four paraplegia patients out for a stroll witli their doctor.

41
was marked. L i m b s regained their function, muscles grew
stronger, incontinence was alleviated and the patients
could walk. T h e veteran w o r k e r T u n g S h a n - y u n could
w a l k three hundred metres w i t h o u t crutches o n the f o u r t h
m o n t h after his injury. I n the n i n t h m o n t h he could
w a l k seven or eight kilometres at a stretch. H e could
carry a load of sixty-five kilogrammes a dozen metres.
N o w he rides his bicycle a n d has r e t u r n e d to w o r k .

42
 Delivering Dead Letters
by Chao Ching-chuan

I N my many years of work as mailman at the Yian

County post office in Heilungkiang Province I've had
many letters with unclear names and addresses that have
simply been dropped into the dead-letter box. Or, if a
return address was given, we stamped them "Addressee
unknown" or "No such address" and sent them back.
We began wondering if all those dead letters could not
be changed into living ones. Practice was continually
showing that Mao Tsstung Thought, the spirit of serving
the people and using materialist dialectics make this pos-
sible. Since 1968 I have delivered several hundred dead
letters.
There are also parcels. In October 1968 we received
one from Hailun County containing a pair of cotton-
padded trousers. It was addressed "Fang Yu-hsi, Yian
Leather Co-op." When I delivered the notice that the
parcel had arrived, I was told there was no such person
there.
That evening as I took out a return slip and was about
to write "Addressee unknown," I suddenly looked at the
frost on the windows. Winter was coming. Someone
would be needing the padded trousers! If I filled out
the slip and sent it back I would be shirking my respon-
43
sibility, failing to be "more concerned about others than
about himself" as Chairman Mao teaches.
I at once wrote a letter to the sender, asking him
to give us the correct name and address. Sure enough,
several days later we received a letter saying the name
was not Fang Yu-hsi but Fang Yu-hsueh, that he did
not work at the leather co-op but was only visiting a
friend who worked there. The sender knew only that
his friend's family name was Chi.
1 went to the co-op again and found a young man
named Chi, but no one had visited him recently. When
I told him the story he said a friend had come to see
his father. At his father's home I learned the friend
was Fang Yu-hsueh, who would have his padded trousers
for the cold weather.
Quite obviously, turning dead letters and parcels into
live ones is mainly a matter of one's outlook on life. If
we don't want to serve the people wholeheartedly, we'll
be unable to do things which can be done. But, if we
turn our deep proletarian feeling into devoted service to
the people, we can do many things considered impos-
sible, and do them well. Another thing I've learned is
that we need to be good at using the scientific method
if we're to do things well, even though we may have all
the good intentions in the world. Chairman Mao says that
"the law of the unity of opposites is the fundamental
law of the universe." A letter's being dead or alive is
not final and unchangeable. Things can be changed
into their opposites.
Over the years, studying the laws governing delivery
work, I have acquired some experience in getting dead
letters where they belong. When addresses are not pre-
44
 Chao Ching-chuan delivering o letter to a commune member.

cise, I c o n s u l t o l d r e s i d e n t s o f t h e d i s t r i c t . I f i t ' s a
w o m a n , I go t o t h e older w o m e n f o r i n f o r m a t i o n . M i x -
ups sometimes occur i n names w h i c h sound correct b u t
have been w r i t t e n w r o n g l y ; and I've f o u n d t h a t house
n u m b e r s o f t e n get reversed. A parcel f r o m A h j u n g
45
Banner* in Inner Mongolia was addressed to a certain
person at No. 25 Tungnan Street, but when I called at
that address, there was no such person there. I thought:
Ahjung Banner is Mongolian. Who on my route might
receive letters from Inner Mongolia? Which family had
relatives there? I had in mind a dozen or so from among
the two thousand households on Tungnan Street. Sure
enough, the number had been reversed — I found the
addressee at No. 52.
We've learned we must use the materialist dialectical
principle, "one divides into two," in analysing problems.
We must see that a positive and a negative aspect will
develop out of any situation. This means a favourable
side and an unfavourable side, difficulty on the one hand,
facility on the other. Only when we analyse problems
this way can we make correct judgements and have con-
fidence in overcoming difficulties.
In February 1969 the revolutionary committee of our
post office received a letter from Chienchang Commune
in Shantung Province. The sender, a woman named Wang
Hsiu-lan, requested help in locating her parents, from
whom she had been separated for twenty-five years. She
said she had come from our county, but had left her
parents in 1944 when she was sixteen and gone to Shan-
tung. The Japanese aggressors were then rampaging
through the country, and everything was in chaos. She
had lost touch with her parents at that time. As I read
her letter I was deeply moved. It was not only a request,
but her bitter family history, an accusation of the plun-
* A banner is an administrative unit in the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region equivalent to the county in the provinces.
46
dering Japanese imperialists' crimes. I accepted the task
with deep proletarian class feeling.
Her letter gave meager details. She had lived in Tung-
wutao Street, it said, opposite a store run by a family
named Liu. Her father's name was Wang Chen-lin and
she had a brother-in-law named Keng Chang-chun.
From this sparse information I thought over both the
favourable and unfavourable aspects of the problem.
Twenty-five years was a long time. The people con-
cerned were probably widely scattered. This was the
difficult and negative side. On the other hand, the letter
had given the exact year the girl left, the address where
she had lived, and the names of persons I could look up.
This was the positive side.
I decided to start with the Liu family store, and I asked
more than a dozen old people, but none of them knew of
it. There had been no private stores for many years,
but was the Liu family not still in some sort of commer-
cial enterprise? I went to stores, restaurants and inns,
locating several men by the name of Liu who had run
stores in the past. But none of them knew of Wang Chen-
lin. Was I to give up or go on?
Chairman Mao teaches us, "Like every other activity
in the world, revolution always follows a tortuous road
and never a straight one." As long as we recognize diffi-
culties, analyse them and fight them, we can find ways
to solve them. I was sure I could find this woman's
family. I widened the area of my investigation, visiting
old handicraftsmen in factories and co-ops roundabout.
One day when I mentioned Keng Chang-chun to an old
worker in a dried fruit co-op, a customer interrupted to
tell me that he knew a Keng Chang-chun. He worked
at an inn near South Gate.
47
 There, I met a man named Keng. I thought, if his
wife's family name is Wang, my task is accomplished.
But when he told me her name was Yang I was disap-
pointed and turned to leave. But I should have told him
the whole story, I thought. Perhaps he could give me a
clue. I told him about Wang Hsiu-lan's letter and read
it to him. He told me he had a younger brother, Keng
Ming-chun, who was working in Fularchi, a town south-
west of Tsitsihar. His wife's family name was Wang and
her parents lived in Shuangyang Commune in our
county.
I wrote to Keng Ming-chun and received a letter back,
saying it was true that his wife had a sister who had
left in 1944 and that they had not heard of her since.
He gave me the address of his father-in-law, Wang Chen-
lin at a production team of Shuangyang Commune, Yian
County, and I telephoned there. Next day I got a letter
from Wang Chen-lin, saying, "Wang Hsiu-lan in Shan-
tung Province is the daughter we have been searching
for all these years. Now Chairman Mao has helped us
find her. What a family reunion we'll have!" The letter
was signed "Commune member Wang Chen-lin."
I sat right down and wrote to Wang Hsiu-lan to tell
her the good news. Her answer was as prompt. She
said that her family would show their gratitude to Chair-
man Mao by doing a good job of gathering in the harvest,
and that after that they would visit her parents for the
family reunion.

48