China’s Dream and Roadmap

Fifty years ago, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out prophetically, “The next fifty (2012) or hundred years (2062) from now will be an epic period of fundamental change in the social system of the world, an earth-shaking period, with which no past era can be compared.… Living in such a period, we must be prepared to carry out great struggles, differing in many respects from the forms of struggle of previous periods” (Mao Zedong 1999a). Three earth-shattering events then took place in China in the latter half of the twentieth century and these changes exceeded any previous historical events. The first significant event was the founding of a New China. The Chinese people stood up and a socialist system was established, with the people becoming the masters of their country for the first time in history. The second major event was the establishment of an independent and complete industrial system and a national economic system in 1949–1978. This paved the way institutionally, in human resources and industries, for the subsequent reform and opening up of China. The third major event was the reform and opening up after 1978, which fully realized China’s productivity, offering China’s people a better standard of living.