Deng Xiaoping Dies: China's Economic Architect
Deng Xiaoping was purged twice before he finally consolidated power in 1978. Mao sent him to work in a factory during the Cultural Revolution. He came back. He sent him away again. He came back again. When he finally ran China, he didn't reverse Mao's legacy so much as hollow it out — keeping the flag while quietly dismantling everything behind it. He never held the title of president. He ran the country for two decades anyway.
February 19, 1997
29 years ago
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