China Under Deng

This volume contains a chronology of events in China since 1979 and the post-Mao transformation under Den Xiaoping, a period the Chinese call socialist modernization. Coverage begins with Deng's 1979 visit to the USA to seek closer US-Chinese ties, and the rise of Hu Yaobang, Deng's protege, to a key position in the Chinese Communist Party and as party chairman in early 1981. It continues with the major political, social and economic events that occurred during the socialist modernization period and examines the effects these have had on both national and international affairs. The fall of Deng's dictatorial regime, the origins of the tragic and much televized events in Tiananmen Square, in which hundreds of students and civilians were believed to have been killed in the brutal military crackdown, their subsequent denial, and Deng's resignation from official posts - while still maintaining considerable influence - in 1989 are also chronicled.