中国改革开放的缘起

The Reasons for China's Reform and Opening Up

对于中国的大转向来说,1976年是一个重要年份。随着"文化大革命"的结束,中国出现历史转轨的机会。"文化大革命"带来两大灾难性后果:一是伤人太多;二是老百姓生活太苦。这两个问题促使党内和知识界对以往所走过的道路进行了深刻的反思。从1977年开始,中国政治和社会出现一连串变化,高层也开始酝酿结束持续多年的政治运动,集中致力于国家现代化目标,并为此寻找国家发展的新路子。改革开放的思路就是在这个过程中形成的。1978年最初酝酿改革开放时,高层没有出现太大分歧,说明中国改革有着深刻的内在动力。当然,如果没有大批人员出国考察所感受到的挑战和机遇,国家领导人也不会有这么强烈的紧迫感,要达成改革的共识也会困难得多。

The year 1976 was an important turning point for China. With the end of the ＂Cultural Revolution,＂ China had an opportunity to change the direction of its historical process. The ＂Cultural Revolution＂ had resulted in two catastrophic consequences： First, many people were hurted ; Second, the people＇ s lives were very bitter. These two issues prompted the party and the intelligentsia to deeply reflect on the previous road they had taken. Beginning in 1977, a series of changes took place in Chinese society. High-level officials began to deliberate the idea of bringing an end to the political campaigns that had lasted for many years, focusing on the goal of national modernization and looking for new ways to embark on national development. The idea of Reform and Opening Up represented part of this process. When the Reform and Opening Up was first introduced in 1978, there were not many differences of opinion among people from all walks of life, indicating that there was a profound intrinsic motivation for the Chinese reforms. Of course, without the challenges and opportunities that Chinese personnel encountered when conducting investigations abroad, the national leaders would not have had such a strong sense of urgency and it would have been much more difficult to reach a consensus about the reform.