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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 000600 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM 
STATE PASS USTR CHINA OFFICE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV KPAO CH
SUBJECT: Public and Experts Vote on Key Events of Thirty Years of 
 
Reform and Opening 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000600  001.6 OF 003 
 
 
(U) This document is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. Not for release outside U.S. government channels. Not 
for internet publication. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: The thirtieth anniversary of China's 
"reform and opening" policy is emerging as topic number one among 
south China government and media circles.  Media outlets are beating 
the drums to stir public interest in the occasion.  Two local media 
outlets working with government entities have conducted or are in 
the process of conducting polls to choose the most significant 
events over the past 30 years.  In addition, government-affiliated 
think tanks and academic institutions have assigned their best 
thinkers to assess the impact of China's modern history at symposia 
planned for December.  COMMENT: These initiatives are aimed both at 
reminding the people of the successes achieved under the last 30 
years of Communist Party rule, but also at cultivating support for 
the next stage of economic reform, which for now features Wang 
Yang's ideas of mind emancipation (not a new policy but certainly 
one increasingly identified with him here in the south) and the 
double transfer policy.  End summary and Comment. 
 
Media Asks Public to Assess Events of Last 30 Years 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (U) Nanfang Press Group, working with the Propaganda Department 
of the Guangdong Communist Party Committee and China Mobile, 
announced October 15 the top 20 most influential events in 30 years 
of reform chosen by their public poll and specially chosen 
"experts."  Approximately 2.5 million Guangdong residents 
participated in the online poll.  The results were weighted so that 
the public poll and experts' survey each accounted for 50 percent of 
the final results. 
 
¶3. (U) The 35 candidates included important policy landmark events 
like the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) in Shenzhen, 
Zhuhai and Shantou in 1979 and Deng Xiaoping's famous southern tour 
in 1992.  The list also included less momentous - and perhaps less 
comprehensible in terms of inclusion - occasions like the rise in 
popularity of Guangdong pop music in the 1980s and the 1991 
designation of Guangdong as China's number one province of mountain 
forestation.  All four of these events were chosen among the 20 
winners in the poll.  (Note: All of the winners are listed at the 
end of this message.  End note.) 
 
¶4. (U) Guangzhou Daily, in association with the Guangdong Economic 
System Reform Research Society, an organization controlled by the 
provincial government, is in the process of conducting a similar 
poll to choose the 30 most significant events from a list of 50. 
Readers have until October 20 to vote and the results will be 
announced on October 25. 
 
¶5. (U) In addition, Nanfang Press Group ran a poll to choose the 20 
individuals who have most touched the lives of the people of 
Guangdong over the last 30 years.  The top three winners were Ren 
Zhongyi, the province's former party secretary and reform pioneer; 
Yuan Geng, former vice chairman of China Merchants Group who 
pioneered industrial reforms in Shenzhen; and Chen Guanyu, a famous 
Shenzhen charity volunteer.  Other winners included Zhong Nanshan, 
the doctor famous for his work during the SARS crisis; Xian Dongmei, 
Olympic gold medalist in judo; several professors; innovative 
engineers and business managers; and a few people who risked their 
lives to save others. 
 
Academia Prepares to Continue the Discussion 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) When asked their thoughts about the polls, academics at the 
Guangzhou and Shenzhen Academies of Social Sciences told us that 
many of their colleagues were currently preparing papers on this 
topic to be presented at a Guangdong Provincial Government symposium 
that will be held on December 5.  The Guangzhou municipal government 
will also host a similar symposium in December. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Professor Peng Peng of Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences 
is one of the scholars preparing a paper and offered his comments on 
the media polls.  Peng believes that any list of the most 
significant events must include the central government's approval of 
"special and flexible" policies for Guangdong Province in 1979, 
which led to the creation of SEZs in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou. 
Without these fundamental early reforms to loosen rigid central 
controls, he said, Guangdong provincial and local governments would 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000600  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
not have had the ability to make key changes over time and lead the 
nation in thirty years of economic growth.  Shenzhen Academy of 
Social Sciences Professor Le Zheng agreed with Peng's assessment and 
added that without the policy flexibility and the creation of SEZs, 
China would have never succeeded in attracting the foreign direct 
investment that led to the country's economic miracle. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Peng went on to say that the second critical step was the 
central government leaders' periodic site visits to reaffirm the 
original reform policies - from Deng Xiaoping's famous Guangdong 
inspection and speech to Jiang Zemin's south China announcement of 
the "three represents" in 2000 and Hu Jintao's call for "scientific 
development".  In each case, China's most senior leader endorsed the 
reform process while visiting the province, and helped propel the 
province and the country forward with increased commitment to the 
reform agenda, according to Peng. 
 
Comment: Looking Back, Moving Forward 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) These efforts to reflect on the past thirty years are 
significant not only because the provincial leadership is eager to 
underscore the successes of "reform and opening" and how life has 
improved during the last three decades of Communist Party rule. 
They are also part of an effort to cultivate support for further 
reforms to come.  Guangdong is coming to the end of the stage in its 
economic development where growth is driven by export manufacturing 
in labor-intensive industries.  The leadership needs to shore-up 
support for its plans to move Guangdong's economy into high-tech, 
financial and other service industries.  This won't be easy and the 
process will be disruptive to many of those with vested interests in 
the current economic structure.  This review also provides the 
political cover for more open discourse about what reforms have 
succeeded and what might work in the future as government leaders 
attempt to ensure thirty more years of growth and development. 
Congen Guangzhou will continue to monitor the commemoration of the 
anniversary of "reform and opening" as it picks up steam in the 
coming months and to assess what it reveals about the future of 
reform in China.  End comment. 
 
Nanfang Press Group 20 Most Significant Events 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶10. The following is Congen Guangzhou's informal translation of the 
Nanfang Press Group winners: 
 
-- 1. In 1979, the country's first export-oriented manufacturing 
zone was founded in Shekou, Shenzhen. 
-- 2. In 1979, Guangdong established the Shenzhen, Zhuhai and 
Shantou SEZs. 
-- 3. In 1981, Zhaoqing farmer Chen Zhixiong became the first fish 
farm contractor, inspiring a national debate on market-oriented 
reforms. 
-- 4. In the 1980s, Guangdong pop music became popular throughout 
the whole country. 
-- 5. In 1983, the first Sino-foreign joint-venture hotel, the White 
Swan, was inaugurated. 
-- 6. In 1987, Shenzhen became the first city in the country to 
auction land-use rights. 
-- 7. In 1987, Guangzhou launched China's first mobile phone 
system. 
-- 8. In 1987, Guangdong was the first to promote youth volunteer 
service. 
-- 9. In 1991, Guangdong was honored as "China's Number 1 Province 
for Mountain Forestation". 
-- 10. In 1992, Deng Xiaoping inspected Guangdong and made his 
famous speech, generating support for reform. 
-- 11. In 1992, Zhuhai City began paying millions in rewards to 
scientific and technological talents in the city. 
-- 12. In 1992, The "Shunde Model," a package of reform of 
government operations and property rights, was introduced in Shunde 
District of Foshan City. 
-- 13. In 2000, Jiang Zemin inspected Guangdong and put forward the 
"three represents". 
-- 14. In 2003, Hu Jintao inspected Guangdong and put forward the 
"scientific development approach." 
-- 15. In 2003, Guangdong fought against SARS. 
-- 16. In 2004, Pan-PRD Regional Cooperation was initiated. 
-- 17. In 2007, the 100th Canton Fair was held. 
-- 18. In 2008, Guangdong fought against the severe winter storm 
disaster. 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000600  003.3 OF 003 
 
 
-- 19. In 2008, Guangdong aided the earthquake disaster zone in 
Sichuan. 
-- 20. In 2008, the "mind emancipation" campaign rolled out in 
Guangdong. 
 
GOLDBERG