Deng Xiaoping was born on August 22, 1904 and he would greatly change China.
Deng Xiaoping The Rise of China
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Transcript of Deng Xiaoping The Rise of China
Torossian 1
Jérôme Torossian
Professor Hengda Yang
HIST 346
November 30, 2015
Deng Xiaoping: The Rise of China
After the death on September 9, 1976 of one of the most murderous dictators in history,
Chairman Mao Zedong, the general feeling in the People’s Republic of China was as if time had
completely stopped. Indeed, his sudden disappearance drove the entire country into a national
state mourning stage. Millions of Chinese people were crying the loss of their “great leader,” and
many of them were actually concerned about what would be their future fate and the one of their
own nation. The Chinese, even the ones who protested on April 5, were afraid that the chaos of
the Cultural Revolution would come back or that the current government would disintegrate and
throw the state into a second civil war. Fortunately, none of these major apprehensive occurred.
In fact, the death of Mao Zedong not only marks the end of the Maoist era and some of his harsh
policies, but it represents as well the beginning of the rise of the People’s Republic of China
under the rule of Deng Xiaoping. In order to save the Chinese people and the country out of
misery, the Communist Party under Deng Xiaoping had to accept that it had to radically change
its present policies and turn its direction towards more liberal reforms to save the failing
economy. In this essay, I will mainly talk about how the People’s Republic of China as well as
the lives of the Chinese people began to significantly transform and improve after the death of
Mao Zedong. In addition, I will discuss the major changes and reforms that were enacted under
the rule of Deng Xiaoping and make a clear comparison with the ones that were adopted by Mao.
Finally, I will demonstrate that Deng Xiaoping successfully pushed out his nation from being a
backward country into a fully recognized and respected world power.
Torossian 2
In order to be well informed about Deng Xiaoping, an overview of this Chinese
statesman is more than necessary. Deng Xiaoping was born in 1904 into a small landlord family
in the rural village of Paifang located in the Chinese province of Sichuan.1 During China’s
imperial time, many Chinese families who possessed an intelligent child were willing to do
everything in order to educate him or her so that the kid could potentially become an official and
bring prosperity to the family.2 Deng was an example of such a clever kid, and his own father,
Deng Wenming, did what he could, even when he almost went totally bankrupt, to give his son
the education he needed.3 Deng Xiaoping began his studies in his village when he was five years
old in the house of an educated relative, where he was primarily taught Confucian classics.4 As
he grew up, he passed many important competitive examinations that would allow him to enter
schools according to his grade.5 Deng Xiaoping demonstrated early his sense of patriotism as at
the age of fourteen, he participated in the May Fourth Movement, in which the Chinese people
were unhappy about a deal that was made at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The deal agreed in
Paris “allowed Japan to stay […] in Shandong,” which it had taken away from Germany during
World War I.6 As a result, people protested against their government’s failure to gain back its
lost territories, now controlled by Japan. This movement quickly gained the attention of
university and high school students throughout the nation, and later led Deng to take part in the
anti-Japanese boycotts in Chongqing in the fall of 1919.7
Thanks to Deng Wenming, Deng’s understanding of the outside world would
significantly improve after his father found a chance for him to receive further education in
1 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.152 Ibid., p.153 Ibid., p.15 and p.164 Ibid., p.165 Ibid., p.176 Chang, Jung; Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. Globalfare, 2005, p.21 7 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.17
Torossian 3
France.8 France welcomed in its territory many Chinese laborers in order to replace in the
factories all of the young Frenchmen who left to participate in the war.9 A rich businessman from
Sichuan, who previously studied in this western nation, created a scholarship to allow students
from his province to participate in a work-study program in France.10 A one-year preparatory
school was founded in Chongqing to prepare potential students to go abroad. Deng Xiaoping
successfully passed the test to study in the school, however, as he failed the French examination
that would enable him to go to France, his father paid for his passage.11 Deng Xiaoping had to
fulfill only one goal, which was to “learn knowledge and truth from the West in order to save
China.”12
When Deng Xiaoping came in France, he heard from his Chinese comrades, like Zhou
Enlai, about how bad capitalism and imperialism were. It was also in France that Deng Xiaoping
discovered for the first time Marxism.13 In 1923, two years after the Chinese Communist Party
was founded, he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League and officially became part of the
CCP in 1924.14 Once he heard that he was going to be arrested for protesting against France’s
cooperation with the oppressive Chinese government, Deng Xiaoping decided to escape to the
Soviet Union in 1926.15 There, he studied at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow, which the
Comintern had established to train members of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.16
8 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.16-179 Ibid., p.1710 Ibid., p.1711 Ibid., p.1812 Sheehan, Matt. For Chinese Students Abroad, Personal Freedoms – Not Political – Are What Matter. The Atlantic, 2013. Web.13 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.2214 Ibid., p.20 and p.2215 Ibid., p.2316 Ibid., p.23
Torossian 4
Even though his study was supposed to last two years, Deng was sent back to China in
1927 to be near Feng Yuxiang, a Chinese warlord.17 It was during that year that the two Chinese
parties split and that the nationalists led by Chiang-Kai-shek decided to launch an anti-
communist purge in China.18 Far more powerful than the communist forces, the nationalists were
able to push away the communists from Jiangxi, which led to a huge communist retreat known as
the Long March.19 During that time, Deng led many military campaigns against the Japanese and
the nationalists.20 After the successful defeat of the nationalists by the communists, Mao Zedong
declared on October 1st, 1949, that the “people have stood up,” and proclaimed the establishment
of the People’s Republic of China.21
Deng Xiaoping rose quickly in the leadership of the party by becoming in 1954 one of the
top six leaders of the party through his general secretary position.22 Deng had supported Mao’s
1957 anti-rightists campaign, which attacked many of China’s intellectuals who previously
criticized the party.23 However, he was not truly in favor of Mao’s Great Leap Forward, which
caused the death of around 45 million of Chinese people. Indeed, in the 1960’s Deng made some
economic reforms, which Mao totally disapproved and led him to view Deng as a “capitalist
roader.”24 Therefore, when Mao launched the 1966 Cultural Revolution, he not only targeted Liu
Shaoqi for blaming him for the failure of the Great Leap Forward, but also Deng Xiaoping, who
acted independently and did not follow his revolutionary vision.25 Deng was purged and placed
first under house arrest in 1967, and was later engaged in physical labor and reeducated in Mao
17 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.2518 Chang, Jung; Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. Globalfare, 2005, p.6619 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.2920 Ibid., p.31 and p.3421 Chang, Jung; Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. Globalfare Ltd, 2005, p.33322 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.4023 Ibid., p.4024 Ibid., p.4325 Ibid., p43
Torossian 5
Zedong Thought in 1969.26 Mao simply wanted to teach Deng a lesson as he did not expel him
from the Communist Party. It is during his purge that Deng apparently started to think on what
kind of changes China truly needed.27
It was not until the year 1972, when Deng Xiaoping wrote a letter to Mao discussing
some of his past mistakes, that Mao Zedong agreed to have him return back to Beijing.28 Deng
came back in 1973, and it was announced that he would become the vice premier and would be
also present in the foreign affairs activities.29 Deng later could participate in high-level meetings
and be apprenticed to his old comrade, Zhou Enlai.30 As Mao regarded Zhou Enlai as being not
firm in dealing with the United States, Deng Xiaoping gradually did his job in meeting foreign
officials and was even allowed to represent China at the United Nations in 1974.31 However,
Zhou Enlai hit by cancer passed away on January 8, 1976.32 Deng was given Mao’s permission
to present the eulogy at the state funeral.33 The Chinese people, who admired Zhou Enlai, were
unhappy about the fact that he was poorly mourned, and so they decided to show their respect on
the Qing Ming festival on April 5, 1976.34 Yet, the Gang of Four considered it as totally planned,
and that Deng Xiaoping was the one behind it.35 As a result, Mao took the decision to remove
him from power, but concluded that he should keep his party membership.36
26 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.43 and p.4927 Ibid., p.1428 Ibid., p.6829 Ibid., p.7030 Ibid., p.7031 Ibid., p.78 and p.7932 Ibid., p.15733 Ibid., p.15834 Ibid., p.16535 Ibid., p.16936 Ibid., p.172
Torossian 6
The death of Mao Zedong on September 9, 1976, put automatically Hua Guofeng, Mao’s
chosen successor, as the new Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.37 Not so long after Mao
passed away, Hua made his mind to arrest the Gang of Four.38 While few weeks before the
Chinese people were mourning the death of their leader, the arrest of the Gang of Four was
widely celebrated in the streets by the population. People had enough of the Great Leap Forward
and the Cultural Revolution. By arresting the Gang of Four, Hua Guofeng established his
authority in people’s mind. In order to prove he was Mao’s legitimate successor, Hua showed a
piece of paper to all the people of China in which Mao wrote “What you do, I trust.” In reality,
Hua did not show the entire phrase as it stated “If you have problems, ask Jiang Qing.” Hua
asserted that he was committed to the Maoist Legacy and even wrote an article in which he
declared that whatever policies Mao supported and whatever instructions he gave, should still be
followed.39 This is the main reason why Hua Guofeng was later outmaneuvered by Deng
Xiaoping in 1978. He clearly did not anticipate that he would be the target of those who thought
that China should keep its distance from Mao’s policies.
Deng Xiaoping was able to return to work in 1977 after accepting Hua Guofeng’s
leadership. By taking back all of his former responsibilities, Deng also volunteered to take care
for science, technology, and education, as he believed they were essential for China’s future
development.40 He acknowledged that China was two decades behind that of the rest of the
world. For instance, he said that while China had around 200,000 people working in the fields of
science and technology, the United States had about 1.2 million people.41 He later regretted to
have supported Mao’s attack on intellectuals as he understood how devastating they were on
37 Meisner, Maurice. Mao’s China and After: A History of the People’s Republic. The Free Press, 1999, p.42738 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.17539 Ibid., p.18840 Ibid., p.19841 Ibid., p.198
Torossian 7
China’s science and technology.42 He never attacked them again as he declared that they are the
first productive force. Under Mao’s rule, the intellectuals were purged and had a very low pay,
so close to the one that peasants received. However, they were well respected under the Deng
era, and their salary significantly improved.
As China needed to catch up with the most advanced countries in the world, Deng
Xiaoping believed that young Chinese students should study abroad in order to bring back their
knowledge to China. In terms of education in the country, Deng wanted the students to be
accepted to the universities, not on the basis of proper class background or proper political
thinking like Mao did, but rather based on academic merit.43 During 1966 to 1968, there were no
schools in China. It is in 1970 that Mao decided to restore the university, yet, there were no tests
to pass, so colleges enrolled many illiterate people, which many of them did not attend high
school. As a result, the university entrance examinations were brought back under Deng, and for
the first time since the Communist rule, class background was not a factor in choosing future
students.44 This system has given China some positive results as it raised the quality of university
applicants and those entering the workforce.45
Deng Xiaoping’s reforms and opening up policy was adopted at the 1978 Third Plenum,
and this conference is considered as the time when Deng became officially the paramount leader
of China.46 In order to transform China into a new world economic power, the Chinese had to
focus on the four modernizations, which were a set of goals mainly in the fields of agriculture;
42 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.20143 Ibid., p.20544 Ibid., p.20645 Ibid., p.20746 Ibid., p.246
Torossian 8
industry; science and technology; and national defense. The 1978 Third Plenum stopped many of
Mao’s ideas and policies.
From the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the liberal economic reforms gained momentum.
Indeed, the reforms started in the field of agriculture, where the people’s communes founded by
Mao were dismantled, and in which the peasants were able to receive more freedom and become
active in their own farm work.47 The land was also privatized among the farmers, especially
through the household responsibility system.48 Each farming family received a plot of land to
grow whatever they wanted, but had to meet state tax and grain quota obligations.49. Once the
farmers met the state’s production target and sold the products at fixed prices, the peasants were
able to sell the surplus in the open markets.50 The agricultural reforms proved productive as
between 1978 to 1984 the gross value of agricultural output increased at an average annual rate
of 9 percent.51 To put into perspective, the production of grain increased up to 300 million tons in
1983, whereas in 1976 the result was just 200 million tons.52 In addition, rural per capita income
also improved as well as the standard of living grew up.53 Under Mao, this would have never
happened as he would have never tolerated that the peasants to have private land or to grow
anything they wanted freely. During the Great Leap Forward, people were allowed to barely
keep the essentials, “private plots, heavy tools and livestock all had to be turned over to the
collective.”54
47 Meisner, Maurice. Mao’s China and After: A History of the People’s Republic. The Free Press, 1999, p.46048 Ibid., p.46349 Ibid., p.46150 DaCosta, Maria; Carroll, Wayne. Township and Village Enterprises, Openness, and Regional Economic Growth in China. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Web. 51 Ibid., p.46452 Smitha, Frank. Reforms Under Deng Xiaoping. Macro History and World Timeline. Web.53 Ibid., p.46454 Dikotter, Frank. Mao’s Great Famine. Walker Publishing Company, Inc, 2010, p.52
Torossian 9
Under Deng, the rural industries or township and village enterprises became a great force
in the Chinese economy. However, even though much of the large industries still belonged to the
state, Deng encouraged the establishment of small privately owned rural enterprises. The main
focus was on the production of steel, iron, coal, and oil production. These private businesses
grew rapidly in numbers, size and technological sophistication. By the 1980s, these private
industries increased by 35 percent per annum.55 Indeed, 1.5 million rural industries were
employing 28.2 million people in 1978 while in 1996 23.4 million industries had 135.1 million
workers.56 The reforms also touched the urban industries. The industry managers could now
determine prices, salaries, and production schedules.57 Moreover, they would be able to decide, if
they have one, on how they would use their profit.58 In addition, the managers would be free to
hire and fire anyone in accordance with current market conditions.59 Again, Mao would not have
accepted that people have their own private businesses as in his time all of the industries were
state-owned.
From April to May 1978, it was agreed to establish in Southern China an export
processing zone, which is a place where material could be brought from abroad to be made by
Chinese laborers and then exported without any tariffs.60 This area would later be named the
Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and located in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.61
Under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, these special economic zones took an incredible takeoff. In
fact, Chinese exports had multiplied over one hundred times, passing from $10 billion per year in
55 Ibid., p.46556 DaCosta, Maria; Carroll, Wayne. Township and Village Enterprises, Openness, and Regional Economic Growth in China. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Web.57 Meisner, Maurice. Mao’s China and After: A History of the People’s Republic. The Free Press, 1999, p.47058 Ibid., p.47059 Ibid., p.47060 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.21961 Ibid., p.406
Torossian 10
1978 to more than $1 trillion.62 In addition, development in the area progressed rapidly,
especially with the construction of skyscrapers, apartment buildings or luxurious hotels.
Likewise, Shenzhen was a small town before with only 20,000 people. However, the city has
grown into a metropolis with more than 10 million residents two decades later.63 With the
establishment of such a zone, China gained the interest of many foreign investors.
On March 30, 1979 Deng Xiaoping stated the four cardinal principles in order to show
what issues could not be questionable in the People’s Republic of China.64 These principles were
the socialist path, the dictatorship of the proletariat, the leadership of the CCP, and Marxism-
Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. He acknowledged that the country had to borrow some
ideas from the capitalists, but this did not mean that socialism was bad for him. He knew he was
using the capitalist way and his quote of “black or white cat,” could be translated the same way
as “capitalism or socialism.” Deng Xiaoping never directly criticized Mao Zedong, even though
after his death he was more open to talk about his failures. For instance, his 1981 Resolution on
Mao Zedong shows us perfectly. According to him, if an individual denounces his boss, in that
case Mao, he will lose party legitimacy. Therefore, he had to keep saying that Mao was a great
leader, even though he admitted that he was in his life 70% correct and 30% wrong.
In terms of national defense, Deng Xiaoping was concerned in 1977 about the threats
from both the Soviet Union and Vietnam. Indeed, these countries were menacing to him as they
both wanted to increase their power in Southeast Asia. Deng understood that he urgently needed
the cooperation of the nearby Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, he decided to visit many
nations in Southern Asia in order to strengthen China’s foreign relations.65 However, he found
62 Ibid., p.40663 Ibid., p.40664 Ibid., p.26265 Ibid., p.282-289
Torossian 11
out in some of them that to gain their cooperation, he had to stop encouraging revolution among
the local ethnic Chinese and tell them to be loyal to their country of residence.66 Deng later
accepted their demand. He also had in mind to deepen relations with the two large powers that
could stop the Soviet Union, Japan and the United States. During the late 1970s, China became
more open than it had ever been since 1949.
Few months before Deng Xiaoping made a state visit to Japan on October 1978, China
and Japan signed a treaty of peace and friendship on August 1978.67 Deng Xiaoping flew to
Japan in October 1978. He was particularly interested in this country for the reason that it
previously had some similar issues that China faced at the time. Indeed, the Japanese economy
suffered tremendously after the end of the Second World War. Yet, thanks to a strong
government the country was able to rise significantly and caught up with the West.68 Japan was
in possession of modern technologies, so Deng taught it could teach China on how to be more
open economically and develop so rapidly. In fact, Japan was willing to help China as a sign of
apology for what the country had done in the past.
Furthermore, Deng Xiaoping viewed the normalization of the Sino-American relations as
essential for China’s modernization. In order to achieve his goal, Deng was ready to be flexible
on many issues. Yet, he would not have normalized their relations if the United States did not
want to break the one that it had with Taiwan. He considered that the U.S was invading Taiwan
and was preventing the island from unification with mainland China.69 On January 1, 1979, it
was announced that the U.S and China had agreed to recognize each other and develop
66 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.282-28967 Ibid., p.29768 Ibid., p.29469 Ibid., p.314
Torossian 12
diplomatic relations.70 Later, Deng made a state visit to the United States, where he was able to
visit many places such as NASA in Houston, Boeing in Seattle or even Coca-Cola in Atlanta.71
With these symbolic and important visits, Deng clearly indicated that the priority of the new
Chinese regime was economical and technological development. Likewise, the message that he
passed to the Chinese people was even clearer, “it is good to get rich” and that “poverty does not
belong to socialism.”
I personally believe that Deng Xiaoping was among the few in the twentieth century to
have not only improved the lives of his people, but also transformed his nation from being a
backward state into one of the fastest growing economies. Once he became the paramount leader
of China in 1978, the country was so poor and the Chinese were still under shock from the
Cultural Revolution order by Mao. When he accessed power, he showed the country the right
direction to follow in order to have a modern and prosperous China. What was important for him
is that he always wanted to make decisions that will benefit the country. Indeed, we can truly see
how through his economic reforms, which clearly followed the capitalist way, Deng Xiaoping
helped millions of people to escape the misery and live a better life, even though it was in a way
that was contradictory to his socialist view. One of the facts why China was so behind from the
West before is because of its closed-door policy. Deng Xiaoping understood it and he did not
only open China to the outside world and to foreign investors, but he also allowed his homeland
to impose itself and compete as an economic power. His pragmatic strategy was proved well
successful in China and around the world. However, I also think that his economic reforms did
not only bring good things to the nation as they brought also corruption, inflation, pollution, and
70 Ibid., p.33371 Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011, p.336
Torossian 13
deforestation. Ultimately, Deng Xiaoping was a far better leader than Mao Zedong, and it is
thanks to him if the Chinese nowadays live in a powerful China.
Torossian 14
Bibliography
Chang, Jung. Mao: The Unknown Story. Globalfare Ltd, 2005.Print.
DaCosta, Maria; Carroll, Wayne. Township and Village Enterprises, Openness, and Regional
Economic Growth in China. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Web.
Dikotter, Frank. Mao’s Great Famine. Walker Publishing Company, Inc, 2010. Print.
Meisner, Maurice. Mao’s China and After: A History of the People’s Republic. The Free Press,
1999. Print.
Sheehan, Matt. For Chinese Students Abroad, Personal Freedoms – Not Political – Are What
Matter. The Atlantic, 2013. Web.
Smitha, Frank. Reforms Under Deng Xiaoping. Macro History and World Timeline. Web.
Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011.
Print.