Deng Xiaoping
1904–1997 · Chinese (Guang'an, Sichuan / Beijing) · Post-Mao China, Cold War
Known for: Architect of China's economic transformation—'It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice'
Deng Xiaoping was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution, came back both times, and then transformed China from a poor, isolated Maoist state into the world's fastest-growing economy. He opened Special Economic Zones, encouraged foreign investment, and launched the reforms that lifted 800 million people out of poverty.
He also ordered the Tiananmen Square massacre (1989), crushing pro-democracy protests with tanks. He was the architect of 'socialism with Chinese characteristics'—essentially authoritarian capitalism. Modern China is his creation.
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