Joint Communique of the Party Central Committee, the NPC Standing Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission (Appendix — September 1976)

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China

The State Council of the People's Republic of China

The Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Announcement

To give expression to the boundless reverence and deep mourning of the whole Party, the whole army and the people of the whole country for our great leader Chairman Mao Zedong, it is hereby decided:

(1) From 11 to 17 September, mourning will be held in the Great Hall of the People. Members of the CCP Central Committee and candidate members, leading personnel of the central party, government and military organs and of Beijing and other quarters, representatives of the workers, peasants and soldiers, and mass representatives of other circles will take part in the mourning and pay their respects before the mortal remains.

Personnel of all basic-level units throughout the country — organs, troops, factories and mines, enterprises, shops, people's communes, schools, streets and the like — may hold mourning within their own units.

(2) At three o'clock in the afternoon, Beijing time, on 18 September, a solemn memorial meeting will be held on the Tiananmen Square.

The Central People's Broadcasting Station and Beijing Television will relay the proceedings of the memorial meeting on the Tiananmen Square live; all basic-level units throughout the country — organs, troops, factories and mines, enterprises, shops, people's communes, schools, streets and the like — must organise the masses to listen and watch, and hold memorial observances.

In all areas at the county level and above, memorial meetings with representatives of the workers, peasants, soldiers and other circles are to be convened at three o'clock in the afternoon on 18 September: first the live proceedings of the Beijing memorial meeting are to be heard, and then memorial addresses are to be delivered by the principal responsible persons of party, government and military organs of the locality.

(3) From 9 to 18 September, flags are to be flown at half-mast in mourning throughout the country and at our embassies, consulates and other establishments abroad, and all entertainment activities are to cease.

This communique is not Mao Zedong's work. Issued in the name of the four institutions, its content is the arrangement of his funeral afterwards; to mistake it for his own writing would not match the facts, so this edition places it in the appendix, at the end of the twenty-five pieces, separate from the twenty-three main-body pieces.

(4) At three o'clock in the afternoon precisely on 18 September, all personnel in organs and troops, factories and mines, enterprises, shops, people's communes, schools and streets, and all persons abroad in the streets, except those whose work cannot be interrupted, shall stand in silence where they are and observe three minutes of mourning. At three o'clock in the afternoon precisely on 18 September, all places and units with steam whistles — railways, steamships, warships, factories and the like — shall sound their whistles for three minutes in mourning.

(5) To foreign governments, fraternal parties and friendly persons who ask to come to China to mourn, our embassies and consulates abroad should express deep thanks, and convey the decision of the party centre and the government of our country not to invite foreign governments, fraternal parties or friendly persons to send delegations or representatives to China to mourn.

This announcement is hereby issued.

9 September 1976

The first item sets the mourning and lying-in-state at the Great Hall of the People from 11 to 17 September; the second sets the memorial meeting in Tiananmen Square at 1500 Beijing time on 18 September, broadcast live on radio and television.

The fourth item sets three minutes of standing silence at 1500 on 18 September, with sirens sounding for three minutes where there are sirens; the fifth sets that no foreign governments, brother parties or friendship delegations are invited to send representatives to mourn. The date the base text carries is 9 September 1976.