Xiaogang villagers secretly agree to household-based farming

Mao’s death ended the leadership era that had shaped the planned economy, mass campaigns and revolutionary mobilization. Economic policy remained contested: leaders disagreed over whether to...

Hua Guofeng and allies arrested the Gang of Four weeks after Mao’s death. This political shift ended the decade-long campaign and opened the way for rehabilitations and renewed emphasis on...

The Party formally restored Deng after his second purge. He advocated rebuilding schools, scientific institutions and economic administration, helping shift debate toward practical expertise. His...

The State Council approved the return of a unified entrance examination after a decade in which university admissions had relied heavily on political and workplace recommendations. Millions of...

A Guangming Daily editorial argued that policy should be judged by practical results, helping reopen debate about Mao-era decisions and the role of expertise. The intervention was part of a wider...

In a speech preparing the Third Plenum, Deng urged leaders to emancipate thought, seek truth from facts and use economic methods in managing the economy. He argued for changing relations of production...

The Third Plenum of the Eleventh Central Committee moved the Party’s focus from class struggle to socialist modernization and endorsed reform and opening as the new strategic direction. It marked a...

The establishment of diplomatic relations created conditions for expanded trade, educational exchange and technology contact after decades of US-led embargo and strategic isolation. The opening was...

Higher state purchase prices improved incentives and rural incomes after years in which agricultural surpluses had been mobilized to support industry. The change mattered alongside household...

Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Xiamen were designated as pilot zones for foreign investment, export production and institutional experimentation. The zones were not simply free-market enclaves: the...