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China’s 20th Party Congress
ChinaPolitics

Deng Xiaoping: gone but not forgotten as China grapples with unprecedented challenges

  • Tributes from the public to the late leader flowed online on the anniversary of Deng’s birth
  • But the response in the official media has been less effusive

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Deng Xiaoping is remembered as the architect of China’s opening up policy. Photo: Sam Tsang
Josephine Ma
This week marks the 118th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping and a sense of nostalgia about the late paramount leader is tangible in China – even a quarter of a century since his death.
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Deng, often called the architect of modern China, is credited with a reformist programme that transformed the country from an isolated, backward state to a potential global superpower.

While the authorities and the public have always celebrated Deng’s legacy, this year, as China faces unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, there are signs online of public desire for what many see as the golden era of China – when the country first opened its doors to the world.

Social media platforms, such as Weibo, WeChat and Toutiao, are full of praise for Deng, attributing him with freeing China from endless ideological debates and refocusing the nation on wealth creation and development.

Deng broke the shackles of a tightly controlled planned economy and created a unique hybrid market economy. He reintroduced public examinations for university entrance and government jobs, and laid down the foundations of China’s science and technology revival.

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“Chinese people, especially those with a sound rationale … will fully affirm the open door and reform policy firmly introduced by comrade Deng Xiaoping,” Tsinghua University philosophy professor Huang Yusheng said in a Weibo post.

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