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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping,  was born on 22nd August 1904 and passed on February 19th, 1997.  

He was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the  of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to 1992.

1. Deng Xiaoping rose to supreme power and led China through major economy reforms

Jimmy Deng with Jimmy Carter- Author; Schumacher, Karl H.- Wikimedia

After the death of in 1976, Deng gradually rose to supreme power and led China through a series of far-reaching market-economy reforms, which earned him the reputation of “Architect of Modern China“. He contributed to China becoming the world’s second largest economy in 2010.

2. He was a follower of

Author; Revolutionary Communist Party, USA- Wikimedia

Born in the province of Sichuan in the Qing dynasty, Deng studied and worked in France in the 1920s, where he became a follower of  and joined the  (CCP) in 1924.

3. Deng became a political officer for the Red Army in China

Deng Xiaoping and red army leaders- Author; Unknown- Wikimedia

In early 1926, Deng travelled to Moscow to study Communist doctrines and became a  for the  upon returning to China.

In the late 1929, Deng led local Red Army uprisings in Guangxi. In 1931, he was demoted within the party due to his support of Mao, but was promoted again during the .

Deng played an important role in the  (1934–1935), the  (1937–1945) and the &²Ô²ú²õ±è;(1945–1949).

4.  Became a de facto leader of China in 1978

Deng Xiaoping- Author; Acroterion- Wikimedia

Following Mao’s death in September 1976, Deng outmaneuvered the late chairman’s chosen successor  and became the de facto leader of China in December 1978 at the .

Having inherited a country beset with institutional disorder and disenchantment with  resulting from the chaotic political movements of the , Deng started the “” program which gradually brought the country back to order.

5. Between 1977 and 1979, Xiaoping resumed a number of things that had been interrupted by the Cultural Revolution

Deng Xiaoping in 1979- Source; U.S. National Archives and Records Administration- Wikimedia

From 1977 to early 1979, xiaoping resumed the  that had been interrupted by the Cultural Revolution for ten years, initiated the , designated  including , and started a one-month .

On 1 January 1979, the PRC established diplomatic relations with the United States, and Deng became the first Chinese paramount leader to visit the U.S.

In August 1980, Deng embarked on a series of political reforms by setting constitutional term limits for state officials and other systematic revisions, which were incorporated in  in1982.

6. Supported the one child policy in China to help deal with overpopulation crisis

One child policy in China- Source; Population Control- Wikimedia

In the 1980s, Deng supported the  to cope with China’s overpopulation crisis, helped establish China’s , and launched the  for science and technology.

Deng also proposed the  principle for the governance of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the future unification with Taiwan.

7. All reforms Deng supported and carried out opened up China to foreign investments and technology

Foreign diplomacy and relations between China and UK- Author; Foreign and Commonwealth Office- Wikimedia

The reforms carried out by Deng and his allies gradually led China away from a planned economy and , opened it up to foreign investment and technology, and introduced its vast labor force to the global market, thus turning China into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Despite never holding office as either the PRC’s head of state or head of government nor as the head of CCP, Deng is generally viewed as the “core” of the CCP’s second-generation leadership, a status that was enshrined within the party’s constitution.

8. Deng was named Person of the Year for the years 1978 and 1985.

Deng was named the Time Person of the Year for 1978 and 1985. He was criticized for ordering a military crackdown on the , yet was praised for his reaffirmation of the reform program in his  as well as the  in 1997 and the  in 1999.

9. He helped organize protests that resulted to death of many communists

Between 1927 and 1929, Deng lived in Shanghai, where he helped organize protests that would be harshly persecuted by the Kuomintang authorities.

The death of many Communist militants in those years led to a decrease in the number of members of the Communist Party, which enabled Deng to quickly move up the ranks. 

Mao feared that the  economic policies of Deng and Liu could lead to restoration of capitalism and end the Chinese Revolution. Due to this and other reasons, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966, during which Deng fell out of favor and was forced to retire from all his positions.

10. His family was targeted during China’s Cultural Revolution

During cultural revolution in China- Author; Tsering Dorje- Wikimedia

During the Cultural Revolution, Deng and his family were targeted by , who imprisoned Deng’s eldest son, .

Deng Pufang was tortured and jumped out, or was thrown out, of the window of a four-story building in 1968, becoming a paraplegic.

In October 1969 Deng Xiaoping was sent to the Xinjian County Tractor Factory in rural Jiangxi province to work as a regular worker. In his four years there, Deng spent his spare time writing.