This refers to the National Meeting on Learning Agriculture from Dazhai, held by the State Council in Xiyang County, Shanxi Province, from September 15 to October 19, 1975. In his speech delivered at the opening ceremony, Deng Xiaoping emphasized the importance of agriculture. He pointed out that agricultural modernization was crucial to the realization of the four modernizations. A failing agriculture, he continued, would be a severe drain on the development of the country.