In studies of the Chinese Communist Party, the Ma Yinchu Incident is often treated as a key example in explaining the relationship between the CCP and Chinese intellectuals during the period from Rectification to the Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1956-58. However, it is clear from China’s main newspapers and magazines of that time, recent published memoirs, and related research that the Ma Yinchu Incident and the Anti-Rightist Campaign must be distinguished. This article reconsiders interpretations of the Ma Yinchu incident and the relationship between the CCP and the Chinese intellectuals.