Reform – Primary Sources
The following are suggested resources where you can explore more about the Reform Era in China.
- Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
From a 1984 speech by Deng Xiaoping to a Japanese delegation in which Deng outlines the ideology for his socialist market economy. Since a capitalist system would be politically unacceptable in a communist government, Deng’s classification was a necessary step to moving ahead with his reforms. - Charter 08
Inspired by the 1977 anti-Soviet Czech initiative, Charter 77, Charter 08 was published on 10 December 2008, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and signed by over 350 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists. Liu Xiaobo, the jailed 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was one of the authors and original signatories. The document calls for constitutional amendment, greater political freedoms, and social reforms, among other actions. - Deng Xiaoping Talks on the Southern Tour
After the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square and in other locations around China, the economic reforms suffered setbacks via conservative resurgence within the government. Deng’s 1992 Southern Tour, an important occasion and a turning point, promoted the special economic zones (SEZs) and inspired greater confidence among investors and entrepreneurs, putting the economy back on the path of development. - Shanghai Communique
Jointly issued on February 27, 1972, by the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, this document was one of the first steps to normalizing relations between the two countries. - The Fifth Modernization
This important document, posted on Beijing’s Democracy Wall by Wei Jingsheng on December 5, 1978, calls for the inclusion of democracy to the list of the Four Modernizations of industry, agriculture, science and technology, and national defense. - Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People
Signed by Deng Xiaoping and President Jimmy Carter and released on January 1, 1979, this joint communique officially established diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. The document also halted official U.S. recognition of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
