By HELMUT MATT

“The Chinese people have risen.” With these words Chairman Mao Zedong announced the victory of the Chinese revolution on October 1， 1949. Since then， this day has been celebrated as the anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China （PRC） – marking the beginning of a new era for the country.

Leading up to this date China had endured 100 years of invasions and war that had almost completely destroyed the once flourishing nation， plunging its people into poverty， hardship， and despair.

A Country Once on the Brink of Collapse

After the end of the war against the Japanese invaders in 1945 and in the following years under the rule of Kuomintang， China was one of the poorest countries in the world. Indescribable impoverishment， bitter priva- tions and hunger were omnipresent. The average life expectancy of Chinese at that time was just about 35 years.

Such was the dire situation on the day the PRC was founded. The Communist Party of China （CPC）， led by its leader Mao Zedong， and the victorious Peoples Liberation Army （PLA） faced a tremendous number of challenges.

The country lay in ruins， transportation systems were largely non-functional， agriculture lay in ruins， and the irrigation system severely damaged， especially by the blasting of river dikes.

There was also great hardship in many Chinese cities， where speculation and corrupt administrations had caused the collapse of food supplies and people were literally starving to death on the streets.

After the victory over the Japanese imperialists and the Kuomintang army， the most urgent task for the country was to clear the rubble， provide the people with food and the most basic necessities of life， and rebuild society according to socialist principles.

One could say that this was the hour zero when the victorious communists laid the foundations for the new， modern China. Despite struggling with the many challenges during the first years of the new country， the CPC managed to stabilize the state and ensure the systematic construction of the PRC.

At that time， hardly anyone expected that the development of the Chinese economy and society would one day become a truly unique success story – certainly not to the extent it has.

After struggling with a number of difficulties and setbacks in the early years of the countrys independence， the measures taken by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 marked a crucial turning point.

The steps towards the opening and initial reform， which at that time were still very cautious， proved to be extremely successful， being evident at an early stage. Before long a revival of the Chinese economy was noticeable， and as the countrys dynamic growth gained momentum， it paved the way for China to develop into the worlds second largest economy.

Reform and Opening-up

It was a very eventful time， when from December 18 to 22， 1978， the third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was convened in Chinas capital Beijing. What was decided in the Great Hall of the People was such a fundamental reorientation that historians often speak of it as a “new” or “second revolution.”

This is now known as Chinas entry into the period of“reform and opening-up.” Looking at it more closely， the paradigm of reform and opening-up referred to two important political areas： On the one hand， there was the reform within the country and， on the other， a careful opening-up to the outside world.

The internal reforms were intended to fundamentally change the economic system and other parameters that had slowed down the development of Chinas productive potential in the past. The first reform steps of the new state leadership led to the establishment of four special economic zones – a measure that proved its worth many times over in the further development of the country. The opening of the coastal， river and border regions， which was also decided on， was the basis for foreign trade success and ultimately led to Chinas full participation in economic globalization.

Becoming a Global Benchmark of Development

China today is an emerging， dynamic country that is developing at a rapid pace and whose economic power has now become a global benchmark.

Today， China is really omnipresent： Chinas cuttingedge technology has for some time been conquering the world market， Chinese consumer goods have become an indispensable part of shopping malls around the world， and also in the fields of culture and science， modern China is a major influencer.

The development which the country has undergone since the beginning of its policy of reform and openingup is breathtaking – the path China has taken is as unique as it is effective.

First Personal Encounter

What seems to be taken for granted today， was hardly imaginable not too long ago. My first personal encounter with a person from China in the mid-1980s is one I still fondly remember.