Who/Wat

The Four Modernizations

A program to modernize China’s agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology. It aimed to strengthen China’s economy and productive capacity by improving these four major areas.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs)

Designated areas where special tax and trade privileges encouraged foreign investment and business activity. They allowed China to experiment with market-oriented policies in selected locations before expanding reforms elsewhere.

Democracy Wall

A movement centered on a wall in Beijing where people posted criticisms of government policies and calls for democracy and political freedom. Wei Jingsheng was a prominent activist associated with the movement.

The Household Responsibility System

A farming arrangement in which individual households contracted to work collectively owned land instead of farming through collective production teams. After fulfilling required obligations, households could keep or sell their surplus, giving them a direct incentive to produce more.

TVEs (Township and Village Enterprises)

Rural businesses controlled by township or village governments, rather than the national government, in the model emphasized in your readings. They produced goods and generated profits that could fund business expansion and local public services.

The Dual-Track System

An arrangement in which state planning and market exchange operated together: producers fulfilled required quotas at fixed state prices, then sold additional output at market prices. For example, a factory could deliver its required steel quota to the state and sell extra steel on the market.

Playing to the Provinces

A political strategy in which reform leaders gave provincial governments more economic authority and opportunities to retain revenue. These benefits encouraged provincial leaders to support reform and promote local economic development.

Fang-Shou Cycle

A recurring pattern of loosening control or encouraging openness (fang), followed by tightening control and imposing restrictions (shou). It describes shifts between periods of liberalization and renewed political or economic restraint.

Hu Yaobang

A reformist Chinese Communist Party leader and former general secretary who supported rehabilitating people persecuted during earlier political campaigns. He was removed from leadership after being blamed for tolerating student demonstrations.

Zhao Ziyang

A reformist Chinese premier who later became Communist Party general secretary and supported market reforms and greater separation of Party leadership from government administration. During the Tiananmen crisis, he opposed using military force against the demonstrators.

Nomenclatura (Nomenklatura)

The Communist Party’s system for controlling appointments and dismissals across important institutions, using lists of positions, candidates, and personnel procedures. It allowed Party bodies to determine who led government offices, enterprises, universities, and other organizations.