Deng had given the issue of how to handle Mao's legacy serious thought from at least 1956, when he was present at the 20th Party Congress in Moscow where Khrushchev had denounced Stalin. Over the years, Deng had had ample opportunity to contemplate the issue, especially during his three and a half years of rusticating in Jiangxi province during the Cultural Revolution. As a young man, he had expressed tremendous admiration for Mao, and for decades he had dedicated himself to serving Mao, only to be twice cast aside by him and subjected to humiliating public attacks. Deng's eldest son had been
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