I’m proudly translating Discover China by my friend Eric Nie into Spanish (Mexico) and Portuguese (Brazil). Today’s story is a short copywriting essence of Chapter 3. If you’d like to go deeper and explore the full journey, I highly recommend Eric’s book ($9.99): https://ericonchina.com/collections/all
Dear Friends,
If you stood in Shenzhen in 1978, you’d see rice fields and fishing boats.
Today, you see glass towers, 5G hubs, and one of the busiest ports on Earth.
That didn’t happen by accident.
It happened because one man changed the rules.
When Deng Xiaoping returned to power, China was exhausted — politically, economically, spiritually. The Cultural Revolution had hollowed out schools, factories, and trust. Equality existed. Prosperity did not.
Then Deng said something radical:
“It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white — as long as it catches mice.”
With that line, ideology stepped aside.
Results took over.
What followed was 改革开放 — Reform and Opening Up — the largest social and economic experiment in modern history.
Deng didn’t abandon socialism.
He rewired it.
Farmers could sell surplus crops. Small workshops appeared in villages. Foreign investors built factories in new special zones. Suddenly, effort mattered again. Fate felt negotiable.
And then came the cultural earthquake:
“To get rich is glorious.”
For the first time in generations, ambition replaced slogans. Markets replaced ration tickets. People weren’t just surviving anymore.
They were aspiring.
The West called it China embracing capitalism.
China called it crossing the river by feeling the stones.
Slow steps. Constant adjustment. No grand theory — just movement.
It wasn’t painless.
Inequality widened. The “iron rice bowl” shattered. Migrants flooded cities. Families split across provinces.
But something precious emerged:
Choice.
I once met a man who grew up farming rice in Anhui. Years later, he owned a logistics company with 200 employees. He told me:
“I was born a peasant. I became a businessman because the government finally let me dream.”
That’s Deng’s real legacy.
Before him, China tried to change people to fit the system.
After him, the system changed to fit the people.
He didn’t just reform policies.
He reprogrammed possibility.
Cheers,
Augusto
Founder of Expat Eyes on China
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