Reform and Opening Up

Propaganda poster regarding "Reform and Opening Up"

Reform and Opening Up (Pinyin: gǎigé kāifàn; Simplified Chinese: 改革开放) is a policy of internal reform and external opening that China began to implement at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee in December 1978 . China's internal reforms started with the rural areas. In November 1978, Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province implemented the household contract responsibility system (Lump Sum Contract Responsibility system ) of "dividing land to households and responsible for their own profits and losses ".

On July 15, 1979, the central government officially approved the implementation of special policies and flexible measures in foreign economic activities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, which marked a historic step towards reform and opening up. Opening up to the outside world has become a basic national policy of China. The road is a powerful driving force for the development of the socialist cause. Reform and opening up established a socialist market economic system . In 1992, the Southern Talk announced that China's reform had entered a new stage. Reform and opening up have brought about tremendous changes in China. The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 1992 announced that the most distinctive feature of the new era is reform and opening up, and China's reform has entered a new reform period. In 2013, China entered a new era of comprehensively deepening reforms . Deepening reform and opening up requires adhering to the direction of socialism.

Reform and opening up is one of the two basic points of the basic line of the Communist Party of China in the primary stage of socialism . Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the general principles and policies for socialist modernization are the road to a strong country and the source of vitality for the development and progress of the party and the country. Reform, that is, internal reform, is to consciously adjust and reform the aspects and links between production relations and productive forces, superstructure and economic base that are not compatible with each other under the premise of adhering to the socialist system, so as to promote the development of productive forces and various undertakings. progress in all aspects and better realize the fundamental interests of the broad masses of the people. Opening up, that is, opening up to the outside world, is an inevitable choice to accelerate my country's modernization drive, conforms to the characteristics of the current era and the general trend of world development, and is a basic national policy that must be adhered to for a long time.

Historical Background

Political Background

The resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on certain historical issues of the party since the founding of the People's Republic of China (unanimously adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on June 27, 1981) reviewed the history of the 28 years before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and completed the 30-year history of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The seven years of socialist transformation and the ten years of building socialism in an all-round way have made basic estimates and evaluations.

Regarding the 10 years of the "Cultural Revolution", the document mentioned:

The 10 years of the Cultural Revolution caused the party, the country and the people to suffer the most serious setbacks and losses since the founding of the People's Republic. History has proved that the thesis of the "Cultural Revolution" did not conform to China's reality and did not conform to Marxism-Leninism. These theories were completely wrong in their estimation of the class situation in China and the political situation of the party and the country at that time. Practice has proved that the "Cultural Revolution" was not and could not be a revolution or social progress in any sense . It does not "disorder the enemy" at all, but disrupted China. Therefore, it was never been possible to achieve this supposed social progress in the first place. History has proven that the "Cultural Revolution" was a civil strife wrongly launched by leaders and exploited by counter-revolutionary groups, which brought serious disasters to the party, state and people of all ethnic groups. It was a social regression. In October 1976, the conspiracy of the Lin Biao and Jiang Qing Ultra-Leftist counter-revolutionary clique was smashed, the party was saved from danger, the revolution was saved, and China entered a new period of historical development.

Turning Point

From December 18 to 22, 1978, Deng Xiaoping held the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. It is a great turning point with far-reaching significance in the history of our party:

1. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee is a meeting that continues the past and ushers in the future. Specifically, it re-established the Marxist ideological line of seeking truth from facts, downplayed the slogan "class struggle as the key link" that is not applicable to the current socialist society, and decided to shift the focus of the work of the whole party to socialist modernization.

2. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee is a meeting that creates the future. The plenary session clearly pointed out that the party's historical task in the new era is to build China into a modern socialist country, which opened the prelude to socialist reform and opening up.

3. Starting from the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Chinese people have entered a new era of reform, opening up and socialist modernization. Starting from the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Party Central Committee with Deng Xiaoping at its core gradually opened up a road of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Over the past 40 years, the Chinese people have made remarkable construction achievements along this road. The meeting opened the prelude to China's socialist reform and opening up. In December 1978, China began to embark on the road of reform and opening up.

Deng Xiaoping said: "Any nation or country must learn from the strengths of other nations and countries, and learn from other people's advanced science and technology." So he took the lead in proposing to implement reform and opening up in China, and contributed to China's reform and opening up. He has made indelible contributions and is known as the chief architect of China's socialist reform, opening up and modernization.

Economic Background

Economically, as of 1978, although China's gross national product reached 362.4 billion renminbi, more than double the 171.6 billion renminbi in 1965, with an average annual growth rate of 6.8%, and established an independent, categorically complete industrial system. But the people are still poor, the technology is relatively backward, and after the Cultural Revolution, the CPC has a certain degree of governance crisis and crisis of trust.

In order to accelerate economic development as soon as possible, the Party Central Committee with Deng Xiaoping at the core began to solve these problems one by one, and tried to change the deep-rooted image of the Communist Party and socialism in the people's minds. The purpose of this reform movement was to maintain the socialist system as the premise and change the management system and policies that are not suitable for production development, and the establishment of a Socialist Market Economy. The economic aspect of this reform made the first breakthrough in the countryside, and then quickly implemented reforms in various economic fields across the country.

Deng Xiaoping came to power for the third time, trying to carry out all-round reform of the domestic economic system at that time, and trying to transfer China's economic system to the Socialist Market Economy. Deng Xiaoping's efforts and reform attempts were enthusiastically supported by the people.

The Only Way

1. The status quo of the country needs to be changed

The " Cultural Revolution " left a serious situation for the country: the slow development of productive forces, the lack of food and clothing for the people, and backwardness in science and technology and education. This situation cannot be changed. How to change? There is only one answer: reform.

2. China needs a second revolution

New China was established and the new democratic revolution was completed. However, after the founding of New China, the highly centralized planned economic system established by blindly imitating the Soviet Union and China's isolationist policies had seriously hindered the development of China's productive forces. China needs a second revolution to unleash the productive forces. This situation cannot be changed. How to change? There is only one answer: reform.

3. The socialist system needs self-improvement and development

At each historical stage of socialist society, it is necessary to continuously promote the self-improvement and development of the socialist system in a timely manner according to the requirements of economic development, so that the socialist system is full of vigor and vitality. Where does vitality and vitality come from? There is only one answer: reform.

4. Realizing socialist modernization requires new thinking

The new idea is to establish and continuously improve the socialist market economic system, actively and steadily promote the reform of the political system, develop socialist democracy, build a socialist political civilization, and promote the reform of the cultural system. Where are the new ideas? There is only one answer: reform.