Deng Xiaoping, （1904—1997）

Deng Xiaoping was the core of the second generation of the collective central leadership of the CPC; the outstanding leader with lofty prestige recognized by the whole Party, army and people of all nationalities throughout the country; the great Marxist; the great proletarian revolutionist, politician, veteran communist soldier, military strategist and diplomat; the chief architect of China's socialist Reform and Opening-up and modernization construction; the founder of the socialist path with Chinese characteristics; and the main founder of Deng Xiaoping theory.

Deng Xiaoping was born on August 22, 1904, in Guang'an, Sichuan Province, his formerly name was Deng Xiansheng but his tutor in the primary school gave him the name Deng Xixian.

Deng Xiaoping went to Europe, studied and worked in his early years, where he accepted Marxism and joined the CPC. After returning China, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the revolutionary struggle led by the CPC for national independence and people's liberation. During the period of the New-Democratic Revolution, he successively held many important leading positions in the Party and the army and made important contributions to the establishment and development of a new type of people's army and to the victory of the revolutionary war. During the Northern Expedition, he returned from the Soviet Union directly participated in the revolutionary struggle. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he successively worked underground under the extremely dangerous environment of Shanghai, he led the Baise Uprising and the Longzhou Uprising in Guangxi, and established the Zuojiang-Youjiang Revolutionary Base Area. He participated in the arduous Long March, and personally participated the critical Zunyi Conference, which marked the great turning point in the Party's history.

During the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation. He resolutely implemented the strategic decision of the Party Central Committee, concurrently shouldered the heavy responsibilities in both military and political affairs, bravely shouldered heavy burdens, and successfully overcame difficulties and threats. He was always at the key position in the strategic overall situation and was at the forefront of the struggle against the enemy. He has made great achievements in the opening up of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Anti-Japanese base area, he led the PLA to leap into the Dabie Mountains after a march of thousands of miles, planned and led the Huaihai military campaign. This was a herculean war merit by the great strategic manoeuvre which paved the way for the liberation of the Southwest, from KMT. With the launching of the successive Liaoxi-Shenyang, Huaihai and Beiping-Tianjin campaigns, the War of Liberation finally entered decisive stage. Deng Xiaoping is one of the founding fathers of the People's Republic of China.

During the period of socialist revolution and construction, he made outstanding contributions to the completion of the socialist revolution and to the exploration of the path of socialist construction in China.

In the early days of the founding of New China, Deng Xiaoping was in charge of the southwest provinces of China, soon he was included in the central leadership organs, and assumed the below posts. He served as Secretary-General of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice-Premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government. At the First Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Party in 1956, he was elected as the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and became an important member of the Party’s first generation of the Central collective leadership. During the next 10 years, he took charge of a great deal of day-to day work of the Central Committee of the CPC and made fruitful efforts in exploring the path of socialist construction suited to China's national conditions and put forward many correct proposals to overcome economic difficulties.

Shortly after the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution", he was wrongly criticized and politically attacked, repudiated and consequently deprived of all his duties until his return to the central leadership position in 1973.

In 1975, he began to preside over the day-to day work of the Party, the state and the army, in order to reverse the serious turmoil caused by the "Cultural Revolution", he carried out a comprehensive rectification and a tit-for-tat struggle against the "Gang of Four". Soon after, he was again wrongly dismissed and criticized. After 1978, in the new period of Reform and Opening-up, Deng Xiaoping has become the core of the second generation of the collective central leadership of the Party and has made historic contributions to the creation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. After the ending of the "Cultural Revolution", he emphasized and insisted that seeking truth from facts is the essence of Mao Zedong Thought and opposed the wrong viewpoint of "two whatevers", in this respect he supported and led discussions on the issue of the criterion of the truth, and comprehensively promoted the rectification of chaos and re-establishing the correct Party line.

Under his guidance, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, held in December 1978, re-established the ideological line of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, and stopped using the wrong idea of “taking class struggle as the key link” consequently led the Party shifting the focus of Party to the construction of socialist modernization, and laid stress on the implementation of Reform and Opening-up, finally major decision-making of the Party realized a great turning point which has a far-reaching significance in the history of the Party.

After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party in 1978, Deng Xiaoping together with the leading collective of the Central Committee, made a series of important decisions to push forward Reform and Opening-up and socialist modernization in a gradual reform pattern.

He systematically summarized the Party's historical experience since the founding of New China, solved two interrelated major historical issues, namely, the scientific evaluation of Mao Zedong's historical status and the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, and the establishment of a correct path for China's socialist modernization according to the new reality and new development requirements. He completely denied the wrong theory and practice of the “Cultural Revolution”, resolutely resisted the erroneous ideological trend of negating Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong thought, and established the correct direction for the development of the Party and the country.

He firmly grasped the basic question of “what is socialism and how to build socialism” and boldly proposed the idea of “blazing a new path of our own and building socialism with Chinese characteristics” and led the Party and the people to successfully usher in a new path of socialism with Chinese characteristics on the basis of the practice and lessons of revolution and construction since the founding of New China. He emphasized the importance of taking economic construction as the central task, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles, adhering to the line of Reform and Opening-up, and leading the Party to formulate its basic line at the primary stage of socialism. He guided the Party to correctly understand the basic characteristics of the primary stage of socialism in which China is located and fundamental tasks of socialism in this stage and formulated a “three-step” development strategy for the construction of modernization.

He emphasized: “Reform is the second revolution in China”, and led the Party to carry out systematic reform in all aspects in a gradual pattern, and boldly advocated opening the door to the outside world, he stressed that China “must grasp with two hands and make sure both hold tight,” meaning that China should emphasize both economic growth and socialist culture. He said: “We must do a good job in the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, establish democracy and legal system, and realize all-round social progress.”

He creatively put forward the scientific concept of “One Country, Two Systems” policy, guided the smooth transition and return of Hong Kong and Macao to mainland, and opened up a new situation that would promote cross-strait relations. He clearly pointed out that peace and development are the two major issues in the contemporary world, and that the Party should adjust its policies accordingly in a timely manner, and seize rare historical opportunities and strive to create a good external environment for Reform and Opening-up and socialist modernization. He emphasized that in order to strengthen the Party's leadership over building socialism, we must improve the Party's leadership and must focus on the Party's construction so as to make Party building full of new vitality. These important thoughts, theories and practices have brought about another earth-shaking change in China in the 20th century.

Deng Xiaoping’s contribution to the Party and the people is historical and of world significance. It is because of his outstanding leadership, and the Reform and Opening-up which he vigorous advocated and promoted with all his strength that socialism with Chinese characteristics has flourished, and the Chinese people can live a well-off life, and the Chinese nation and the People’s Republic of China can stand in the east of the world with a a new posture. Deng Xiaoping’s contribution has not only changed the historical destiny of the Chinese people, but also changed the historical process of the whole world. His brilliant life and great contribution to the independence, prosperity, revitalization of the Chinese nation and the struggle for the liberation, freedom and happiness of the Chinese people will be forever recorded in the annals of history.