Section 3 Development of the Post Communications in Difficulties

During the Cultural Revolution, the cadres and workers in the Ministry of the Post and Telecommunications suffered from persecution, with the business management ineffective and the post and telecommunications destroyed. But, the post and telecommunications as the basic social facilities were taken care of and protected by the Party and the government, especially Premier Zhou En-lai. On March 10, 1970, in the face of the situation that the post management was to be administered at the level of counties, Premier Zhou En-lai held a meeting attended by the heads of the ministries and committees. In that meeting, he clearly stated that the post and communications must be uniformed nation-wide, could not be administered at the level of counties and must receive nation-wide uniform management. On April 5, 1971, Premier Zhou En-lai, when meeting with the representatives attending the national transportation meeting, reiterated clearly it was never heard before that the basic construction, finance and resources were managed at the level of counties. We had more than two thousands of counties in our country and everything would be a total mess if we did that. This important direction made by Premier Zhou En-lai set up the structure that the nation post was put under the uniform leadership of the General Bureau of the Post. The business management system of centralized and integrated command and supply was thus maintained. The departments at all levels enjoyed great flexibility and clear-cut responsibilities. This measure protected the post and reduced losses to some extent.

During the time when the Ministry of Transportation was responsible for the post, great emphasis was laid on the improvement of resources and technology, the resumption of business regulations and rules and the enhancement of communication quality. The cause of post developed. After the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications was set up again, it continued to develop the post and put quality in the first place. In December, 1973, the General Bureau of the Post convened a Post Mutual Quality Check-up and Exchange of Experiences Meeting in Beijing in order to firmly take care of key positions and weak points, restore the order of communications, put every regulations and rules into effect and strictly check up quality. The post departments at the levels of provinces, cities and districts stuck to business consolidation and management despite the disturbance of the Gang of Four. In 1977, the General Bureau of the Post held such activities as national post quality check-up and national campaign for model postal lines. In June of the same year, the Measures of the National Postal Quality Check-up was promulgated, which somewhat assured the quality of post and communications.

In this period, the post communications in the countryside were attached much importance to. In the meeting of exchanging experiences on the post and communications in the countryside, which was held in Guang Zhou, experiences on how to reinforce the post communications in the countryside were exchanged. After that, the mailing motorization in the countryside became the major task of the post communications construction in the countryside. By the end of 1976, the motorization was realized in nearly 300 counties (cities). The number of motorcycles and mobile bicycles reached up to 13,000 and the motorized postal lines up to 330,000 kilometers. The mailing motorization in the countryside to accelerate the mailing speed was out of good will, but not realistic. Regardless of the immature transportation situation in the countryside, hasty and complete motorization caused a great deal of waste.

During the Cultural Revolution, all the cadres and workers overcame a lot of difficulties, firmly manned their posts and maintained uninterrupted post communications. At that time, some of the heads at different levels in the post system were criticized. Some of them "stood aside". Sometimes, the power of command and organization of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and the post and telecommunication bureaus at the levels of provinces, districts and cities were deprived of and weakened. The postal business organization and management became weak and pale. Those well-trained workers who had been working in the post system for such a long time, especially the senior employees as the business back-bones, stuck to their posts under the situation of no management and no command. Business went on as usual. Mails were distributed. Parcels were sent out. And postmen went on their shifts. All this assured the normal Operation of the post The post communications went on smoothly even at the most disturbing stage of the Cultural Revolution. Only some mails were momentarily delayed in some areas. Many workers were firmly "engaged in revolution while promoting production" despite of satires, persiflage and strong political pressure. Sometimes, they volunteered to work overtime to fulfill the production tasks affected by meetings and activities. Their daily assignments were finished everyday. In the areas where fights frequently happened between fractions, the supercargoes and postmen of the local post offices risked their lives to finish their tasks of transportation and mailing. In such natural disasters as earthquakes and flood, the postal personnel stuck to their posts. Many moving and heroic model workers came out in their ordinary posts.

Although the national economy suffered severe losses during this period, the industrial and agricultural constriction and production still developed. The social demand of the post communications was increasing. The population flow caused by the educated youth going to the mountainous areas and the countryside demanded more from the post communications. This created the external social situation for the development of the post communications. The post developed somewhat in great difficulties. In 1976, the number of train compartments increased 143 more, up to 32 per cent, compared with that in 1965. 3866 post trucks were added, which was 2.44 times. The post volume rose too, up to 277,000,000 pieces of mails in 1976, which increased 27.6 per cent. The number of parcels reached to 68,800,000, 1.29 times more. In 1975, 12.47 billions of newspapers and periodicals were distributed, 1.3 time more. The post lines and distribution lines were 4,796,000 kilometers long, which was a 1.3 time increase.