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How Deng Xiaoping changed China: from Mao Zedong's shadow to power?
Deng Xiaoping served as the top leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1989 and played a key role in China's reform and opening up. His life was full of twists and turns and challenges. From a follower and comrade-in-arms of Mao Zedong to a later reformist leader, Deng Xiaoping's journey demonstrates the transformation of China's contemporary history.
After Mao Zedong's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping took the opportunity to restrain other opponents through shrewd power struggles and finally seized power in 1978. Several major policies and plans of Deng Xiaoping reshaped China's economic and social structure, allowing the once closed society to gradually transition to a market economy.
The "reform and opening up" promoted by Deng Xiaoping has rapidly strengthened China's economic strength and made it an important player in the global economy.
Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, the first plan was to "rectify the wrongs" to restore the reputation of those who had been persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. He stressed the need to rebuild confidence, return to rationality and put national security and stability first. This policy successfully calmed the panic caused by political chaos and laid the foundation for subsequent economic reforms.
In 1979, Deng Xiaoping announced the establishment of special economic zones. The first batch of areas included Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen and Shantou. These areas became experimental fields for the market economy, attracted foreign investment and promoted rapid economic development.
“It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat.” This sentence reflects Deng Xiaoping’s pragmatic reform concept.
Although Deng Xiaoping's reform initiatives achieved amazing economic results, his political reforms were not smooth. Deng Xiaoping ordered the army to suppress the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, making the movement one of the most controversial chapters in Deng's history and posing a huge obstacle to his political reforms.
Although he faced continued criticism at home and abroad, Deng Xiaoping continued to advocate "one country, two systems" and played a key role in the Hong Kong and Macau handover negotiations in the 1980s. This policy not only demonstrated his political foresight, but also changed the international community's perception of China.
In the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping was honored as Time magazine's Person of the Year, which fully demonstrated his global influence.
In addition to economic reforms, Deng Xiaoping also attached great importance to the development of social education and science and technology. The nine-year compulsory education policy and the 863 Plan he implemented were intended to improve the overall cultural quality and technological capabilities of the nation, and also paved the way for sustainable development in the future.
Deng Xiaoping died in 1997, but his contributions to China's modernization are still widely discussed. His successor, Jiang Zemin, continued his reform agenda, strengthening the market economy and making China an increasingly important player on the global economic stage.
Although Deng Xiaoping made great achievements in promoting national modernization, there is still widespread discussion in society about the series of social problems and challenges it caused. Does this mean that on the road to reform, there must be corresponding supporting measures to ensure social harmony and stability?
