Published : 2024-08-22

On August 22, 2004, the 100th birth anniversary of Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) was commemorated.

Born on August 22, 1904, Deng Xiaoping was one of the major leaders of the early and middle periods of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

He was the ''chief architect'' of China's Reform and Opening-up policy and modernisation efforts, and the founder of the ''Deng Xiaoping Theory'' (鄧小平理論).

A native of Guang'an, Sichuan, Deng was originally named Deng Xiansheng (鄧先聖) and his scholarly name was Deng Xixian (鄧希賢). He joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League in 1922 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1924.

Deng Xiaoping is best known for the ''three falls and three rises'' ("三起三落") in his political career. The final "rise" was in July 1977. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, he was restored to his original leadership positions in the party, government, and military.

After Deng Xiaoping regained power, he promoted to ''set things right'' ("撥亂反正"), opposed the ''Two Whatevers'' ("兩個凡是"), and led and supported the discussions on the ''criterion of truth'', asserting the need for a complete and accurate understanding of Mao Zedong Thought.

Under Deng's leadership, the third plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC held in December 1978 marked the beginning of an era of China's Reform and Opening-up and concentrated efforts on socialist modernisation.

Furthermore, at the sixth plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC held in June 1981, ''The Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China'' (《關於建國以來黨的若干歷史問題的決議》), drafted under the supervision of Deng Xiaoping, was adopted, fundamentally negating the Cultural Revolution and making a reassessment of Mao Zedong's historical position as "his merits are primary, his errors secondary".

Although Deng Xiaoping stepped down from his last position as Chairman of the Central Military Commission in November 1989, he continued to exert influence and drive China's development, including reinvigorating the stagnating Reform and Opening-up through his southern tour talks in 1992.

In his later years, Deng Xiaoping suffered from Parkinson's disease and passed away on February 19, 1997, at the age of 92.