Party history records on March 8

The 1958 Chengdu Conference

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened in Chengdu from March 8 to 26, 1958. The heads of relevant departments of the central government and the first leaders of the party committees of various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions The working meeting attended by the Secretary (i.e., the Chengdu Conference) discussed and adopted more than 40 documents, including the "Opinions on the Second Account of the 1958 Plan and Budget" and the "Opinions on the Development of Local Industry Issues." This meeting was an important meeting in the process of launching the "Great Leap Forward". Mao Zedong spoke many times at the meeting, continuing to criticize the counter-advocacy, and pointed out that the general line of building socialism by "must go all out, strive for the upper reaches, use more, faster, better and save more" has begun to take shape. The meeting also put forward views on two types of personality cults, namely correct personality cult and incorrect personality cult. After the meeting, the spirit of the meeting was conveyed to various places, and the "Great Leap Forward" trend of blind and reckless efforts and comparisons that exceeded what was actually possible quickly arose.

Strong earthquakes in Xingtai, Hebei in 1966

On March 8 and 22, 1966, strong earthquakes measuring 6.8 and 7.2 on the Richter scale occurred in Xingtai, Hebei. According to incomplete statistics, the affected area reached more than 100,000 square kilometers and 8,064 people died. Under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and with the strong support of the people of the country and the People's Liberation Army, the people in the disaster area actively carried out earthquake relief work. At that time, more than 20,000 PLA ??officers and soldiers rushed to the disaster area more than an hour after the earthquake to engage in rescue work. Premier Zhou Enlai visited the disaster-stricken area in Xingtai three times to inspect and express condolences. More than 100 units and 37,000 people from all regions and departments across the country rushed to the Xingtai earthquake-stricken area to participate in earthquake relief. Under the correct leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and with the strong support of the People's Liberation Army and people of all ethnic groups across the country, the people in the disaster area quickly overcame the difficulties, rebuilt their homes and resumed production.