January 11–February 7

The CPC Central Committee convened an enlarged work conference (known as 7,000-Person Conference). The Conference summed up the experience and lessons in the “Great Leap Forward,” carried out criticism and self-criticism, and stressed the need to reinforce democratic centralism and to effectively implement the principles of adjusting the national economy, aiming to reverse the difficult situation of the national economy.

February 13

The CPC Central Committee issued the Directive on Changing the Basic Accounting Unit of the People’s Commune, proposing to change the basic accounting unit of the people’s commune from production brigade to production team.

February 21–23

The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held an enlarged meeting in the Zhongnanhai West Building. Liu Shaoqi presided over the meeting. In his speech, Chen Yun put forward six measures to overcome difficulties.

March 2

Zhou Enlai delivered the report On the Question of Intellectuals to the delegates attending the National Conference for Science Work and the National Forum on Creation of Drama, Opera and Children’s Play, reaffirming that the overwhelming majority of the country’s intellectuals belonged to the category of laboring people and emphasizing that it was necessary to give play to the roles of science and scientists in the course of socialist construction.

June

The 12,000-ton hydraulic press was successfully developed in Shanghai.

September 14

The State Council issued the Directive on Active Protection and Rational Use of Wild Animal Resources.

September 24–27

The 10th Plenary Session of the 8th CPC Central Committee was held. The meeting widened and absolutized the class struggle, which existed within certain limits in socialist society.

October 20

The Chinese frontier troops were ordered to fight back in self-defense against the armed attacks by Indian troops. From December 1, the Chinese frontier troops unilaterally drew back 20 kilometers from the line of actual control by both sides on November 7, 1959, and established a civil affairs inspection station on the Chinese side of the actual control line.

December 14

The CPC Central Committee issued the Decision on Establishing a 15-Member Special Commission. Headed by Zhou Enlai, the Commission was mainly tasked with strengthening the building of the atomic energy industry, speeding up the development and experiment of nuclear weapons and leading the work of nuclear science and technology.

From: Chronicle of the People's Republic of China (October 1949 — September 2019) ,edited by The Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, PP54-56