photo courtesy of Gonzaga University
Actually, Deng Xiaoping never uttered that exact phrase, but the subsequent history writers in China decided that this pairing was better than Deng’s original utterance “It doesn’t matter if a cat is yellow or black, it’s a good one as long as it catches mice.”
But Deng is very much on the minds of many here in China as the country prepares for it’s 60th birthday party. The streets have been replete with tanks and the skies filled with planes as the country’s armed forces prepare for the October 1st celebration. (However, it’s unclear just how many Beijing residents will be able to watch the events in person: when I asked a policeman on the street where would be the best place to watch the events, he said I should watch them on TV, as normal folk wouldn’t be allowed to watch the festivities in Tiananmen Square without a ticket, which were only given to a select minority.)
Though it is celebrating 60 years, it’s a safe bet that most people will be celebrating the post-1978 era, when Deng Xiaoping (with the help of some brave liberal reformers) pushed the CCP leadership in the direction of market liberalization and away from command and control. But many of those who were no doubt glad to see the end of the Mao era are also pushing for further reform.
In an article appearing in today’s South China Morning Post, Unirule’s Sheng Hong advocates further opening:
“China needs further reform of its state-owned enterprises,” [Unirule's] Sheng said. “These state firms use land and natural resources almost for free and enjoy preferential tax policies, but for decades they haven’t handed back any dividends to the state or the people. This is a phenomenon you’ll hardly find anywhere else in the world.”
For those interested in reading more by Sheng, or to learn about Unirule, check out the transcript of an interview Sheng did with the China News Service this past June.
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