The Emergence of Modern China and Happier Families

Chairman Mao Zedong had strict rules for the Chinese people, and Chairman Deng Xiao Ping was lenient, changing these rules and enabling the Chinese nation to advance. Under each of these leaders, there were two different Chinas, with different societies and economic systems. Chairman Mao Zedong was an old-fashioned Chinese leader who founded the People’s Republic of China. He had many strict rules for governing the Chinese people which kept the citizens poor. These old rules didn’t allow the manufacturing of modern appliances or private ownership. My family had no modern appliances--no refrigerator, no washing machine, no dryer, and no natural gas for cooking. My family and friends had to share one television. If we wanted to watch a program, we had to watch in groups. Chairman Mao Zedong also had many strict rules for governing how the Chinese people worked. Jobs were not widely available in the city, and family members were ordered to go to other, poorer, parts of China to work jobs far away from family and friends. My father was ordered to leave Shanghai to work in an impoverished area. My mother cried a lot because my father had to leave her to raise the family alone. My brother was supposed to leave the city, but he was lucky and was allowed to stay in the city because the rule became ineffective in 1978, after Chairman Mao died, and Chairman Deng Xiao Ping was chosen, causing much change. Old style rules were changed when Mao Zedong died, and Chairman Deng Xiao Ping was chosen to lead the People’s Republic of China by the Communist Party giving personal and economic freedom to the people.
When Deng Xiao Ping was chosen to be Chairman of the Communist Party, life changed for the Chinese people. The citizens, including my family and neighbors reached greater economic freedom and could happily live a modern city life in Shanghai. More jobs were created in our city. Modern appliances were made and sold for private use. Citizens were no longer required to leave their families to go to work in other places. My father returned to Shanghai to work in the city because Shanghai had more opportunity to get a job, paid more than poorer areas, and he could live happily with our family. My mother opened a small business because at this point we had more economic freedom. Chairman Deng Xiao Ping allowed the Chinese to open private businesses, to earn money, and allowed the people to produce more consumer goods.
Chairman Deng Xiaoping also allowed Chinese students to take entrance exams to university programs and gave Chinese citizens the opportunity to travel abroad. Greater personal freedoms were given to Chinese citizens who created the chance to make many new decisions. They could decide new career paths. Many Chinese students were allowed to study at the college level to enable them to achieve economic success. I was allowed to pass an exam, pursue my studies in an early education program, and obtain a college degree in teaching. Because of this degree, I was able to teach kindergarten school in Shanghai. Also, my brother was allowed to study business management, earn a degree, and work in medical manufacturing in Shanghai. In this job, he is involved in checking the medicines as to whether they meet the standards set by the government. Just like my family, many others have had the chance of getting a college education.
In addition, Chinese citizens were allowed to travel to faraway nations and to learn about different peoples and cultures. I was given the opportunity to travel overseas, to live, study, and work in the U.S.A. Before I came to the U.S.A., I only knew what this country was like by watching movies, hearing Americans talk on the radio and listening to music. Now, I am living in Chicago and really want to know what America is truly like. Also, some of my friends and neighbors had the privilege of visiting cities and nations such as Tokyo, Singapore, Australia, and the U.S.A. according to these new rules. We have often talked about our travels and my friends have told me that they would really like to come here. Of course, this means that we discover many things about other cultures (like different religions) which we did not have a chance to know about before.
Therefore, it is clear that when Deng Xiao Ping was selected to be the Chairman of the Peoples Republic of China, and the communist Party decided to give citizens’ rights to the Chinese people, the quality of life became better for millions of people. Building the economy was a great step for the Chinese people in emerging as the manufacturer of most of the world’s consumer goods. As the economy grows, I believe that citizen’s rights will also develop more in the future since the change in government began a process of change in the freedoms available to Chinese citizens. As this happens, social progress will come along with economic changes.