Deng Xiaoping's southern tour

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Deng Xiaoping's southern tour

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Deng Xiaoping's 1992 tour revitalized China's reform and opening up policies.

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Origins & Early Life

Deng Xiaoping's southern tour (Chinese: 邓小平南巡), or 1992 southern tour (九二南巡), or simply Nanxun (南巡) was the tour of Deng Xiaoping, the third paramount leader of China, in southern China, including in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Shanghai, from 18 January to 21 February 1992. The talks and remarks made by Deng during the tour resumed and reinforced the implementation of his reform and opening up program in mainland China, which had come to a halt after the military crackdown on 1989 Tiananmen Square protests ordered by Deng himself. At the time of the tour, Deng held no formal position in the Party or the government, having resigned as Chairman of the Central Military Commission in November 1989. However, he still held soft powers in the Party as an active and influential political figure. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 had further strengthened conservative leaders within the CCP, such as Chen Yun, who argued that market-oriented reforms risked destabilizing Communist Party rule in the same way that liberalization had contributed to the Soviet collapse.

Career & Major Achievements

This political environment forced Deng to build support for his reform agenda outside of Beijing, relying on local provincial allies and sympathetic military figures rather than working through the central party apparatus. After Tiananmen Square incident, there was a lack of belief in the Chinese Communist Party both at home and abroad. The United States and European Union both issued arms embargoes while the World Bank and Asian Development Bank stopped issuing loans to China. The 1992 Southern Tour is widely regarded as a critical point in the modern history of China, as it saved the reform and opening up as well as the capital market, and preserved societal stability. It not only preserved stability inside of China, but it was reassuring to foreign countries who had begun to invest large amounts of money into China.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

During the southern tour, Deng emphasized to several military leaders of the People's Liberation Army, including Yang Shangkun, Liu Huaqing and Yang Baibing, that "those who do not promote reform should be brought down from their leadership positions", forcing Jiang Zemin, then General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), to support and continue the reform and opening up program. He also wished that Guangdong province would catch up with the Four Asian Tigers in terms of economic development within 20 years. Some of the notable remarks and comments from Deng during the tour included "I don't care if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice" (cat theory), which was originally published by him in the 1960s, and "development is of overriding importance (发展才是硬道理)" as well as "[the Shenzhen government] should be bolder in carrying out the Reforms and Opening-up, dare to make experiments and should not act as women with bound feet". However, although Deng himself mentioned that anti-corruption must be imposed throughout the entire reform and opening up process and emphasized the importance of rule of law, the Southern Tour did not resolve the corruption issue as well as the widening economic inequality in China, nor did it resume China's political reforms: "Scholars have noted that the development model accelerated by the Southern Tour widened the gap between China's prosperous coastal regions and its underdeveloped interior, a disparity that persists today. The tour's legacy is therefore mixed: while it produced remarkable GDP growth, it also entrenched structural inequalities that the CCP has struggled to address in subsequent decades." The aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests had created a conservative backlash within the Chinese Communist Party, significantly slowing down the reform and opening up.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1989: 1989 Milestone — The talks and remarks made by Deng during the tour resumed and reinforced the implementation of his reform and opening up program in mainland China, which had come to a halt after the military crackdown on 1989 Tiananmen Square protests ordered by Deng himself.
2. 1991: 1991 Milestone — The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 had further strengthened conservative leaders within the CCP, such as Chen Yun, who argued that market-oriented reforms risked destabilizing Communist Party rule in the same way that liberalization had contributed to the Soviet collapse.
3. 1992: 1992 Milestone — Deng Xiaoping's southern tour (Chinese: 邓小平南巡), or 1992 southern tour (九二南巡), or simply Nanxun (南巡) was the tour of Deng Xiaoping, the third paramount leader of China, in southern China, including in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Shanghai, from 18 January to 21 February 1992.

Notable Quotes by Deng Xiaoping's southern tour

“I don't care if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.”

“Development is of overriding importance (发展才是硬道理).”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Deng Xiaoping's southern tour

True or False: “The Southern Tour immediately resolved all issues of corruption and economic inequality in China.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the tour spurred growth, scholars note it entrenched structural inequalities between prosperous coastal regions and underdeveloped interiors.

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