Tiananmen Square

China became a People’s Republic in 1949 under Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong. During Mao’s time, Chinese peasants witnessed the land reforms which strengthen the popularity of the regime. The regime executed between 1 and 2 million landlords across the country. However, during the Great Leap Forward, an idealistic reform project, China saw an estimated 15 to 35 million deaths between 1958 and 1961, mostly from starvation.  The famine is a black spot in Mao’s portfolio. Revolution happened, but China was still an impoverished country. 

In 1989, frustrated with China’s economic stagnation, students across the country protested against the government at Tiananmen Square. The brutal suppression of students’ protests drew condemnations and sanctions against the Chinese government from different countries.

Communist party leaders understood that they have to make a choice – either bringing economic reforms or leave. Leaders like Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, and Zhu Rongji led the country in the 1990s. An astonishing performance pulled an estimated 150 million peasants out of poverty and achieved a GDP of over 11%. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, and in 2008, they organized the Olympics.

China is now one of the global powers. China is eager to take America’s position. Since 1990, China’s growth is astonishing. From an impoverished agricultural country to a manufacturing hub for the world, the ordinary Chinese should be proud of themselves.

The reason I write this is to come to your notice that it was not Mao’s revolution which transformed China; it was the Tiananmen Square protest that helped China to become a global power.

                                                            (Image: Flickr)