China Briefing, 1987

Book excerpt: The year 1986 marked the tenth anniversary of the death of Mao Zedong and the fall of the Gang of Four. A decade after the end of the Cultural Revolution, China experienced the consolidation of rural economic reform, continued progress in urban reform, a widening of the "open door" to the west, and, perhaps most important, the seemingly irreversible impact on Chinese society and culture of Deng Xiaoping's new policies. The political consequences of reform continued to create problems, as was seen at year's end in a dramatic series of student demonstrations and the disciplining of several high party officials and intellectuals. This annual volume reviews the events and trends of the year in foreign relations, domestic politics, the economy, foreign investment and technology transfer, defense, and culture. A separate chapter provides an overview of events in Taiwan. Complementing these essays by distinguished China scholars is a chronology of significant events and a selection of important documents published during 1986. The book is ideal for course use and is essential reading for travelers bound for China, business executives, journalists, and China watchers in general.