Part 1/9:
The Transformation of China: From Mao to Deng Xiaoping
In the late 1970s, China was at a critical juncture, teetering on the brink of transformative change. Under Mao Zedong's rule, the country had been marked by an obsession with ideological purity rather than economic stability and growth. As manufacturing stagnated and universities shuttered, the nation seemed bound to a path of cultural upheaval that favored the radical ideals of the Communist Party over modernization and expertise. However, the winds of change were beginning to sweep across the nation as Mao's successor, Deng Xiaoping, emerged to redefine the very fabric of Chinese society.