China Emerging_ 1978-2008 - Xiao-bo , Wu [16]
It was an emotional and thrilling time. The Chinese had been through some crazy times, but they now appeared to be moving into one of the craziest periods of their lives.
From left: The Chinese team reappears at the 23rd Olympic Games in 1984. The Chinese marksman Xu Haifeng wins a gold medal at the 23rd Olympic Games, July 29, 1984.
In January 1984, Deng XiaopingtraveledsouthtoGuangdong Province, which was already in the midst of springtime. Not long before his trip, a newspaper in the north had published an article titled, “The Origin of Concessions.” This was aimed at the new “concession” of Shenzhen and compared the practice in Shenzhen to imperial China’s practice of leasing out its land to foreigners in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Other articles warned that China had to guard against a reappearance of “compradors”—those who sold out the country by serving as intermediaries for Western businesses. China had to guard against the reappearance of people like Li Hong-zhang, the Viceroy who conducted China’s foreign policy in the late Qing Dynasty and who in the opinion of some had paid a very high price for relations with the West. Many old cadres who came to visit Shenzhen were horrified by what it represented. “Other than the five-star Chinese flag, you can’t find any trace of socialism in this place.” They demanded an answer to the rhetorical question “Is this SpecialEconomicZonesocialist?Orisn’titreallyjustcapitalist?”DengXiaoping went south to view the region in person in order to find a solution and response to the attacks. He did not say a word on the way there and gave no indication of his thinking.
After visiting Shenzhen, Deng Xiaoping went to the nearby special economic zone called Zhuhai. Here, he abandoned his silent approach and
Deyang County in Sichuan (1984): Farmers coming into the big city.
G L O S S A RY 2 . 1
Concession
After the 1840 Opium War, various powers forced China’s Qing government to demarcate special areas in ports along the coast or in major cities where their citizens could work and live. Japanese and European governments achieved these concessions through unequal treaties. Two types of concessions were formed: One governed by a single power and the other, by a group of powers. China generally did not dare interfere. The concessions were seen in China as a visible symbol of the loss of sovereign power. Concessions within China were abolished in 1945 when China won the War of Resistance against Japan.
As the parade passes through Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1984, students from Peking University pull out a banner that reads, “Hello, Xiaoping!” expressing the popular positive sentiment toward him.
National Day Parade, October 1, 1984. The slogan was different that year and was related to the new “chengbao” system.
The first group of people to get motorcycle licenses in 1984.
People purchasing Chinese cabbages to last the winter in 1984.
wrote a commemorative message with a few brief words of praise, “The Zhuhai Special Economic Zone is excellent.” This appeared to be the final word on the subject. On February 1, already back in Guangzhou, Deng Xiaoping finally wrote another commemorative message, at the urging of the leaders of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City. He wrote, “The growth and experience of Shenzhen prove that we were correct in our policy of setting up Special Economic Zones.” He dated this official approval as January 26, 1984, implying that he had already decided to support the zones while in Shenzhen. With Deng Xiaoping’s decisive approval, the debate raging since 1981 regarding the merits of the Special Economic Zones was put to rest.
In concert with this southern initiative, the first generation of China’s entrepreneurs set out on the road to success in 1984. Their activities followed a shift in the focus of reform policies