The ‘Strategic Silence’ and ‘Tactical Noise’ in Economic Reform

Abstract

1992 was a significant year for reform after the slowdown following Tiananmen in 1989. In early 1992, Deng made his much-publicized nanxun (tour of the south). This trip confirmed the direction towards a market economy, and hence marketization sped up. The direction towards marketization was crystallized in the decision made at the 14th Party Congress in 1992 to implement a socialist market economy. (‘Socialist market economy’ means that state ownership remains dominant and the Communist Party maintains its leading role (the socialist component), while markets play a more important role than planning.) The decision signalled a shift from shehuizhuyi youjihua shangpingjingji (the socialist planned commodity economy) adopted at the Third Plenum of the 12th Session of the Central Committee in September 1982. The socialist market economy officially established the new status of markets in China’s economy.

I entered Yonghong in 1958 because of the high demand for workers during the Great Leap Forward. Before then, I was a housewife. I’ve been exercising a lot since I retired. I’m healthy and have a stable income. I’m very happy. I’m healthier than I was when I was working in the factory. My life is guaranteed because of the advantages of socialism. It was not interesting to be housewife. It was more fun to work. I’m not used to women these days. I don’t like them. I’m not that old, but I save money and am thrifty. Nowadays, women don’t save money. They don’t want to work. They prefer to stay home. When we were working, we worked hard and did not even ask for leaves. I did shift work until I retired. Even when I was sick, I still had to go to work. We even worked without pay. Nowadays, everything is measured with money. People simply won’t work without pay. These people really need to be educated. When we were working in factories, we were very responsible. We were very disciplined.¹

Yu, a Female Retired Worker

I entered Yonghong in 1950 as a result of the joint private– state ownership. Before then, our family owned two looms. When I was working in Yonghong, my mother-in-law helped us with household work. In fact, she did most of the cooking and grocery shopping, because she did not have a paid job. When I was working shift work, I did not want to ask for leaves. Nowadays, no new worker wants to do shift work. They only want comfort. Everybody wants to marry laoban. They want money, but they don’t want to work. There is a world of difference between the old and new generations. Can you find anyone in Sicheng who wants to do shift work as a weaver? No one wants to be a production worker even when they are employed in silk factories. When we became model workers or awarded ‘progressive worker’ titles, we were so thrilled just to get a mug. In 1983, I was asked not to do shift work. I did not ask for it. I was asked to teach new workers. I earned more money in doing shift work. I agreed to teach new workers not for money, but to be responsible for the factory. Nowadays, people need the backdoor to avoid shift work. When we were workers, we had a sense of politics. We wanted to work, not only for money. Nowadays, model workers rely on writing and speaking, not working. These old model workers are not respected by managers. Managers don’t even pay visits to them. Our older generation is not used to the new generation. Of course, great progress has been taken place. For example, factories are getting bigger and bigger. Weaving is getting more and more mechanized. Some people have good quality, some don’t. One cannot generalize.²

Bao, a Female Retired worker