Written: As a letter to Li
Xiannian and Yao Yilin, dated 17 June 1979.
Source: Selected Works of Chen Yun, Volume III (Beijing: Foreign
Languages Press, 1999), page 263.
Online Version at MIA: Chen Yun Internet Archive, Feb. 2024.
There are two problems which demand our immediate attention.
The first concerns water resources throughout the country. Agriculture requires water. So do industry and the people. There has been a shortage of water in areas such as Tianjin and Beijing. From now on, water consumption must be taken into account in setting up any new factory. While some factories must be established in localities with rich mineral resources, others can and should be established in areas which have an adequate supply of water. Also, we should take measures to conserve water even at factories with adequate water resources.
The second problem concerns industrial pollution. As for existing factories, we should determine which ones have failed to find a solution to the pollution problem and then gradually change that situation. From now on, in designing new factories, priority must be given to the disposal of toxic materials so that pollution can be effectively prevented. This is a most important issue.
As to the two above-mentioned problems, I wonder whether it is possible for Comrade [Yao] Yilin to consult with the concerned economic research organs and other units and ask them to collect data and to prepare a letter within the next two to three months containing relevant suggestions for discussion thereafter.