Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung

Criticize P’eng Chen

April 28, 1966

[SOURCE: Long Live Mao Tse-tung Thought, a Red Guard Publication.]


Even a silver needle cannot penetrate into Peking, even a single drop of water cannot fall into Peking. P’eng Chen wants to transform the party according to his world outlook. Things in general are developing towards his negative side and he has set the conditions for his defeat. This is inevitable. It has emerged from inadvertent disclosures and development deeply step by step. Historical lessons are not accepted by everyone as warnings. This is the law of class struggle. It can not be altered by the will of man. Whenever there are people in the central government carrying on tricks and deception, I call upon the local areas to rise up and attack them, I call upon Sun Wu-k’ung to vigorously create a disturbance at the palace of the King of Heaven. It is also necessary to deal with those people who protect the “The Supreme Diety.” P’eng Chen was a tiny personality who sneaked into the party, this is not so very astonishing for he can be brought down with one finger. “The West Wind Scatters Leaves Over Changan” tells our comrades that it is not necessary to worry endlessly. “Where the broom does not reach, the dust will not vanish of itself; without struggle, the class enemies will not fall.”

I am in favour of the opinions expressed by Lu Hsun. One cannot do without reading books. But one must not read too much. If you do not read books, others may deceive you.

Appearance can be seen, but not essence. Essence can manifest itself through appearance. P’eng Chen’s essence has been hidden for 30 years.

Is it necessary to tell our Albanian comrades? There is nothing we can’t tell people.



Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung