How does China become an economic powerhouse in just 40 years?

John

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Lived in China

How does China become an economic powerhouse in just 40 years?

I remember China as a very poor nation: cities largely unchanged ever, blue ‘pyjamas’ the national uniform, no cars, and very few industrial vehicles; almost nobody spoke English and education was hardly even basic.

I thought that China would never develop. Yes, I was quite prejudiced.

Then pause and look again: it is now largely developed.

At a major earthquake, I watched the emergency services and was surprised to see how that they were equivalent to Americans.

This miracle came about largely through the effort of one man:

Deng Xiaoping - Wikipedia

Leader of China from 1978 to 1989 Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission In office 13 September 1982 – 2 November 1987 President Li Xiannian Premier Zhao Ziyang Deputy General Secretary Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Chen Yun Chairman of the Central Military Commission In office Party Commission : 28 June 1981 – 9 November 1989 Deputy General Secretary Hu Yaobang Zhao Ziyang Jiang Zemin Preceded by Hua Guofeng Succeeded by Jiang Zemin In office State Commission : 6 June 1983 – 19 March 1990 Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Jiang Zemin 3rd Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference In office 8 March 1978 – 18 June 1983 Preceded by Zhou Enlai (until 1976) Succeeded by Deng Yingchao Personal details Born Deng Xiansheng (鄧先勝) ( 1904-08-22 ) 22 August 1904 Guang'an , Sichuan , China Died 19 February 1997 (1997-02-19) (aged 92) Beijing , China Political party Chinese Communist (from 1924) Spouses Zhang Xiyuan (张锡瑗) ​ ​ ( m. 1928; died 1929) ​ Children Relatives Deng Zhuodi (grandson) Signature Website (In Chinese) Military service Allegiance People's Republic of China Branch/service Years of service 1929–1952 (in the Chinese Red Army, Eighth Route Army and PLA ) 1975–1980 (in the PLA) Rank Unit Battles/wars Central institution membership 1975–1976, 1977–1987: 10th , 11th , 12th Politburo Standing Committee 1956–1967: 8th Politburo Standing Committee 1975–1976, 1977–1987: 10th, 11th, 12th Politburo 1956–1967: 8th Politburo 1945–1967, 1973–1976, 1977–1987: 7th , 8th , 10th , 11th , 12th Central Committee 1954–1967, 1973–1976, 1977–1989: 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th Central Military Commission 1978–1997: 5th , 6th , 7th , 8th National People's Congress 1959–1964: 2nd National People's Congress Other political offices held 1977–1982: Vice Chairman , Central Committee 1977–1980: 1st-ranked Vice Premier 1975–1976: Vice Chairman, Central Committee 1975–1976: 1st-ranked Vice Premier 1973–1975: Vice Premier 1964–1965: Head, Organization Department 1954–1967: Vice Premier 1953–1954: Director, Office of Communications 1977–1981: Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission 1975–1976: Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission 1954–1967: Vice Chairman, National Defense Commission Deng Xiaoping [a] (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong 's death in 1976 , Deng gradually rose to supreme power and led China through a series of far-reaching market-economy reforms earning him the reputation as the "Architect of Modern China". [5] Born in Sichuan during the end of the Qing dynasty , Deng moved to France in 1921 as a teenager, where he worked and studied; in the coming years he became attracted to the theories of Vladimir Lenin , and in 1924 he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In early 1926, Deng t

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping

The reforms carried out by Deng and his allies gradually led China away from a planned economy and Maoist ideologies, opened it up to foreign investments and technology, and introduced its vast labor force to the global market, thus elevating a billion people from poverty and turning China into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.[6]

He was so severely attacked by Mao’s lot I was frankly surprised how he had survived.

He was a midget in height, but a giant by every other measure.