In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Deng Xiaoping's approach to Tibet after the Cultural Revolution. Following the 1980 Central Symposium on Tibet, Hu Yaobang and Wan Li visited the region and proposed major reforms, including the return of collectivized livestock to private hands and the dismantling of people's communes. The 1980 Document 31 and the 1984 Document 22 outlined policies that reduced grain imports, allowed free trade, and granted Tibet autonomous tax exemptions. Lucas discusses...
Apr 30, 2026•7 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Deng Xiaoping's often-overlooked but crucial reform of China's legal system. After the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, which had dismantled the courts and legal codes, Deng recognized that economic modernization required a predictable legal environment. The episode covers the 1978 revival of the Procuratorate and the Ministry of Justice, the drafting of the 1979 Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, the establishment of the first law schools, and the ...
Apr 29, 2026•8 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore Deng Xiaoping's seldom-discussed push for intellectual property reform in the 1980s. They trace how China, after the Cultural Revolution, began building a modern patent and trademark system from scratch. Lucas explains the 1984 Patent Law, the role of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) training, and the influence of Japanese and German models. He describes the dramatic case of the Zhangzhou patent dispute, where a local inve...
Apr 29, 2026•5 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and impact of China's 863 Plan, a high-tech research initiative launched in March 1986. They discuss how four scientists—Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Chen Fangyun, and Yang Jiachi—penned a letter to Deng Xiaoping, warning that China was falling behind in the global technology race. Deng's swift approval led to a 15-year strategic program focusing on biotechnology, space, information technology, laser, automation, energy, and new materials. The p...
Apr 28, 2026•6 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In the mid-1980s, China was still a developing nation with limited scientific infrastructure. But Deng Xiaoping saw that the country wouldn't modernize without a leap in high technology. In March 1986, four prominent scientists — Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Chen Fangyun, and Yang Jiachi — wrote a letter to Deng warning that China was falling behind in the global tech race. Deng responded swiftly, approving a secretive, ambitious research program that came to be known as the 863 Plan. This episod...
Apr 28, 2026•8 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known but pivotal chapter of Deng Xiaoping's legacy: the normalization of China's diplomatic relations with the United States and Japan. Lucas recounts how Deng, in his first year as paramount leader, traveled to the U.S. in January 1979, charming the American public with his wit and tenacity. He discusses the strategic calculus behind the normalization, including the shared concern over Soviet expansionism, and the delicate dance of the One-China...
Apr 27, 2026•8 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In 1977, China was emerging from the Cultural Revolution, a decade that had all but destroyed its education system. This episode dives into Deng Xiaoping's bold decision to restore the national college entrance examination, known as the gaokao. Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic August 1977 symposium on science and education where Deng, just weeks after his third political comeback, overruled objections from the Ministry of Education and ordered the exam to be held in December—giving millions o...
Apr 27, 2026•10 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and consequences of China's one-child policy, a controversial demographic experiment launched under Deng Xiaoping's leadership in 1979. They discuss how population control became a national priority after the Mao-era baby boom, the role of key figures like Song Jian and Chen Yun in advocating for strict limits, and the implementation of forced sterilizations and abortions that sparked international outrage. The conversation c...
Apr 26, 2026•6 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Deng Xiaoping's sweeping education reforms that laid the foundation for China's economic miracle. They discuss the resumption of the gaokao in 1977, the establishment of key universities, and the controversial decision to send students abroad. The conversation covers the role of leading figures like周光召 and丁石孙, the impact of the '863 Plan' for science and technology, and the tension between ideological education and practical skills. Listeners will learn ho...
Apr 26, 2026•9 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known but transformative aspect of Deng Xiaoping's leadership: the military reforms of the 1980s. After decades of a bloated, politically-oriented People's Liberation Army, Deng slashed troop numbers by over one million starting in 1985. They discuss the ideological shift from 'people's war' to 'people's war under modern conditions,' the rise of the General Staff Department and military academies, and the tension between cost-cutting and moderniza...
Apr 25, 2026•8 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Household Responsibility System, the agricultural reform that preceded and paved the way for China's economic miracle. Starting with the famine of the Great Leap Forward, they trace how farmers in a small Anhui village secretly experimented with land contracts in 1978, defying Maoist collectivization. Lucas explains how Wan Li, the reformist party secretary of Anhui, protected these experiments and how Deng Xiaoping's support at the Third Plenum of the...
Apr 25, 2026•8 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In 1992, Deng Xiaoping, retired and ailing, embarked on a tour that would reshape China's future. This episode focuses on the Southern Tour (nánxún), a critical moment when Deng bypassed party bureaucracy to directly push for renewed economic reforms. We explore the tension between conservative leaders and Deng's radical vision, his stops in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and the famous speeches that reignited China's marketization. Learn about the 'socialism with Chinese characteristics' slogan and how...
Apr 24, 2026•4 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the creation and explosive growth of Shenzhen, China's first Special Economic Zone. They explore how Deng Xiaoping transformed a sleepy fishing village of 30,000 people into a sprawling metropolis of over 12 million. The conversation covers the political gamble of the 1979 decision, the initial skepticism from conservative factions, and the pragmatic policies that attracted foreign investment. Lucas explains the role of Hong Kong businessmen, the contro...
Apr 24, 2026•6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping returned to power in Beijing, a man shaped by decades of revolution and exile. This episode begins with a vivid scene: Deng in his office, contemplating the collapse of the Maoist era. We trace his journey from a village in Sichuan to study and work in France, where he met Zhou Enlai and joined the Chinese Communist Party. We explore his military leadership in the Long March, his role in the Yan'an Soviet, and his fall during the Cultural Revolution. Deng's pragmatic philo...
Apr 23, 2026•7 min•Season 1Ep. 1
