Beijing farce: Turning forests back into fields

Deng Xiaoping's pragmatic agricultural policy, which allowed peasants to return to tenancy systems after Mao's Cultural Revolution, brought hundreds of millions of Chinese an economic miracle that allowed them to overcome their bitter poverty. A narrative that is partly true. However, this also happened at the expense of the people's uncertainty as to when the next change of course in the party would jeopardize what had been achieved.

Last updated: 24. July 2025