China's Second Revolution: Reform after Mao

by Harry Harding

China has, since 1976, been enmeshed in an extraordinary program of renewal and reform. The obvious changes—the T-shirts, blue jeans, makeup and jewelry worn by Chinese youth; the disco music blaring from radios and loudspeakers on Chinese streets; the television antennas mushrooming from both urban apartment complexes and suburban peasant housing; the bustling free markets selling meat, vegetables and clothing in China's major cities—reflect a fundamental shift in the government's policy toward the economy and political life.
Although doubts about the long-term commitment to reform arose after the student protests in December 1986 and the dismissal of Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang in January 1987, the scope of reform has been so broad and the pace of change so rapid, that the post-Mao era fully warrants Den Xiaoping's description of it as the ""second revolution"" undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

391 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty remarkable read. Harding's writing is kinda dry but impeccably researched. He runs through all of the reformist programs (e.g., household responsibility system, pivot to light industry & services, creation of markets, welcoming of foreign trade & investment, rectification & streamlining of the bureaucracy, etc.) one-by-one. Really shows how reform didn't proceed in a smooth and linear fashion during the 80's, but in choppy waves as conservatives and reformers fought for the upper-hand.

Almost reads as a primary source, given that it was written in 1987, during the early phases of China's reform + opening up and before Tiananmen. It's really interesting to see how Westerners felt about China's direction back then (i.e., cautiously optimistic). Nowadays all you see is doom and gloom.

[Mark Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for what it is. It covers the liberalization and expansion of China's economy after the death of Mao, the disposal of Hua Guofeng, and the ascension of Deng Xiaoping. Released in the birth of this period (before Tiananmen Square) it sometimes falters without the context of the greater history yet to come. But because of that, it feels like an important document that captures the immediacy of everything happening. The household responsibility system, the crisis of legitimacy after the death of Mao, opening up the economy, and special economic zones. This covers a lot of pertinent ground about how a society changes from the constant upheaval of the Cultural Revolution to a future of liberal marketization. If you're at all interested in how society can make transitions post-revolution, this is as compelling a story as they come.