1984

"Wading into the Sea"

    The term refers to people leaving their jobs with state-owned institutions and enterprises to start private businesses. By doing so, they take the risk of losing stable incomes and social security, and face uncertainties like a sailor on the high seas. The trend reached its peaks in 1984, 1987 and 1993, when a number of Chinese businesspeople set out on their journey to entrepreneurial prominence.

    In 1984, Zhang Ruimin became director of the Qingdao Refrigerator Factory, which under his leadership evolved into Haier, now a leading manufacturer of white home appliances. In the same year, Li Jingwei in Guangdong Province launched the drink brand Jianlibao, and gave it a high-profile debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, in which marksman Xu Haifeng claimed the first Olympic gold for China.

    Also that year, Ma Shengli in Hebei Province contracted out the Shijiazhuang Paper Mill. He later expanded it into the China Ma Shengli Paper Making Group by annexing more than 100 enterprises across China, eventually reporting an annual production value of RMB 400 million. With their bewildering success and wealth, businesspeople in the non-public sector began to be admired and revered by their fellow citizens.

1985

Disarmament by One Million

    With low military spending and an army two times that of the United States, China had too many soldiers to support, and therefore too little to upgrade its armament and combat effectiveness. As early as 1975, Deng Xiaoping established reducing redundancy as a primary task for the People's Liberation Army. But the three force cuts in the following decade were all reversed owing to some top officials' lingering fears of possible wars. In 1985, Deng Xiaoping reiterated that the force of peace would surpass the force of war around the world, and that in this context China's armed forces should serve the national priority of economic development.

    The call was followed by a bold move to shed 1.039 million from the ranks. Meanwhile, 101 military airports and 29 military harbors were opened to the public, and some military facilities were transformed to civilian use. This massive cut-down was a prelude to China's armed forces' transition to greater efficiency and improved scientific/technical strength. In addition, it unleashed a large pool of young and skilled workers into society, and offered experience for similar government reforms in later years.

Sexual Liberty

    In 1985, two popular science books, Sexology and Knowledge of Sex, along with a novel, Woman Is a Half of Man, stirred a tempest in Chinese society. Sex, a taboo in Chinese culture, all of a sudden leaped from obscurity into the open.

    The period of reform has exposed China to Western culture in a broad way. Economic progress and the political thaw have allowed people more personal freedom, and that has galvanized people's demands for greater personal fulfillment. In particular, sexual liberty has been growing fast, for both good and ill. It has been praised for greater self-awareness and the empowerment of women, but has also been disparaged for the surge in extramarital affairs, premarital sex and venereal diseases.