Xi Zhongxun and Guangdong’s reform and opening up.

　　In April 1978, Xi Zhongxun, who was over 60 years old, accepted the arrangement of the central authorities to work in Guangdong. Although his working time in Guangdong is short, only two years and ten months, he has done a lot of pioneering work. He led and united the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government team, set out to set things right from the rectification movement, completely rehabilitated the unjust, false and wrong cases during the Cultural Revolution, vigorously promoted the reform of rural economic system, and explored the establishment of special economic zones, which made outstanding contributions to the reform and opening up of Guangdong and China.

　　Create a new situation in Guangdong’s work

　　During the Cultural Revolution, Guangdong was the hardest hit. After the "Cultural Revolution" ended, everything remained to be done, and the tasks were heavy and complicated. Where should the complicated work start? After Xi Zhongxun came to Guangdong, he mastered the basic situation of Guangdong Province through a lot of investigation and research. On this basis, he and the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee agreed that to open up a new situation in Guangdong’s work, we must first solve the ideological problems of Guangdong’s cadres and decide to adopt the way of rectification to solve the problems among cadres.

　　In June 1978, the first enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourth Guangdong Provincial Committee was held. Under the auspices of Xi Zhongxun, the rectification of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee was carried out in the form of an enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee. The enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee carried forward the Yan ‘an rectification spirit, adhered to the Party’s ideological line of seeking truth from facts, fully promoted democracy, and allowed cadres to speak boldly. At the same time, in the analysis of people and things, it adhered to the policy of learning from the past and saving lives, which can be said to have grasped the key problems in Guangdong Province at that time and achieved good results. Fang Bao, then deputy secretary of Huiyang District Committee of the Communist Party of China and secretary of Baoan County Committee, recalled: "The enlarged meeting of the provincial party committee was well held. This meeting caught the key problem that Guangdong can’t get on with its work. Comrade Xi Zhongxun and Marxism–Leninism have a high level of theory, party spirit and revolutionary perseverance. They have only been in Guangdong for two months, and they have grasped two main problems that prevent Guangdong from going up. A route problem, a team problem. "

　　At that time, there was still the bondage of "two whatevers" on the fundamental issue of guiding ideology. In the summer of 1978, under the leadership of Hu Yaobang, the article "Practice is the only criterion for testing truth" was published in the internal publication of the Central Party School, Theoretical Dynamics, and Guangming Daily was reprinted the next day. With this as a symbol, the discussion on the standard of truth began. In early September 1978, the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China held a series of seminars on the standard of truth. On September 20th, People’s Daily reported the discussion of the Guangdong Provincial Committee on the criterion of truth, and added a lead: "Xi Zhongxun pointed out that practice is the only criterion for testing truth, which is by no means a simple theoretical issue, but a question of great practical significance." Xi Zhongxun is the third provincial leader who publicly supports practice and tests the standard of truth. In the in-depth discussion on the standard of truth, the rehabilitation of false and wrong cases has also been put on the agenda. Guided by the principle of seeking truth from facts and correcting mistakes, Xi Zhongxun urged a large number of unjust, false and misjudged cases to be rehabilitated as soon as possible, restored the party’s fine tradition, and created a new situation in Guangdong’s work in a short time.

　　Promote the reform of Guangdong’s rural economic system

　　The Central Working Conference was held in November 1978. Xi Zhongxun attended the conference and was added as a member of the Central Committee at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee. After the meeting, he returned to Guangdong as soon as possible, and on January 8, 1979, he presided over the second enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourth Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China to study and implement the spirit of the Central Working Conference and the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee. Xi Zhongxun pointed out in his speech: "Guangdong’s agriculture should be developed as soon as possible in accordance with the spirit of the Central Working Conference and the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China." After the meeting, except for a few provincial party committee standing committee members who stayed in the office, eight standing committee members led by Xi Zhongxun respectively went to eight regions to carry out investigation and research in rural areas, and the curtain of Guangdong’s rural economic system reform was opened.

　　At this time, the countryside is still the management system of the people’s commune. However, in the second half of 1978, some social teams in Guangdong began to try to restore the "guaranteed production to the group" that they had once engaged in, and successively implemented the responsibility system of "three awards and one prize" (that is, fixed work, fixed production, fixed cost and excessive reward). In the winter of 1978, the provincial party Committee generally implemented the responsibility system of "three awards and one prize" in winter planting production in the province. On this basis, at the end of the same year, the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee proposed to implement the production responsibility system of "five fixed and one award" (fixed labor, fixed lots, fixed costs, fixed division of labor, fixed output, and overproduction reward). Xi Zhongxun fully affirmed and supported this. In January 1979, he said at an enlarged meeting of the provincial party Committee: "Under the premise of unified accounting and distribution by the production team, the contractor can go to the operation team and calculate the labor remuneration in connection with the output. Some production teams implement ‘ Five awards and one prize ’ The results of the production responsibility system prove that this method has a positive effect on promoting production and should be carefully piloted and implemented from point to point. "

　　Changing the situation of "taking grain as the key link" to develop diversified economy is also the embodiment of rural economic system reform in Guangdong Province. For a long time, Guangdong, like the whole country, emphasized "grain as the key link" and restricted diversified operations. Xi Zhongxun, proceeding from reality, explores ways to adjust the rural economic structure. In January, 1979, at the second enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourth Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xi Zhongxun put forward: "All localities and counties can adjust the planting area of grain and cash crops on the premise of ensuring the completion of the planned grain production, the national procurement task and the reduction of members’ rations." After that, all localities and counties in Guangdong began to make substantial adjustments to the agricultural industrial structure.

　　The adjustment of rural industrial structure in Guangdong has promoted the development of agricultural production in the whole province. The obvious effect is that in 1979, despite the reduction of rice planting area and severe disasters in some areas, the grain output of the whole province still increased by 1.5 billion Jin compared with 1978. In addition, other cash crops have also increased significantly, and the life of members has generally improved.

　　Under the leadership of Xi Zhongxun, the rural economic system reform in Guangdong Province has achieved remarkable results in a short time, which has solved the problem of not having enough to eat for a long time, and laid the foundation for further reform and opening up in Guangdong.

　　Fight a bloody road for reform and opening up

　　While promoting the reform of rural economic system, the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee also realized that it is necessary to take a step ahead in the reform and opening up and give play to the advantages of being adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. In order to prepare materials for the upcoming Central Working Conference, on April 1 and 2, 1979, the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee for two consecutive days, and made a decision that later had an important impact on Guangdong and even the whole country’s reform and opening up, that is, requesting the central government to decentralize power, so that Guangdong can make full use of its geographical advantages adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, and take the lead in reform and opening up and pilot a trade cooperation zone (later changed to a special economic zone). The day after the meeting, Xi Zhongxun went to Beijing to attend the Central Working Conference. On the afternoon of April 8, Xi Zhongxun said in his speech to the Central South Group: "Guangdong is close to Hong Kong and Macao, and there are many overseas Chinese. We should make full use of this favorable condition and actively carry out foreign economic and technological exchanges. Our provincial party Committee discussed that this time we came to the meeting and hoped that the central government would give some power to let Guangdong go first and let go. " Xi Zhongxun’s substantive and innovative speech was highly valued by the central leadership at that time.

　　During the meeting, Xi Zhongxun spent an afternoon in Huairentang, Zhongnanhai, reporting the ideas of Guangdong Provincial Committee to Deng Xiaoping. He once again expressed the hope that the central government would delegate some powers, so that Guangdong would have more autonomy and flexibility in its foreign economic activities. Shenzhen and Zhuhai, which are adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, and Shantou, which belongs to an important hometown of overseas Chinese, are allowed to set aside a place for separate management, which can be used as an investment place for compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, overseas Chinese and foreign businessmen, and organize production according to the needs of the international market, and is initially named as "Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone". Deng Xiaoping appreciated this bold idea. When he heard that the name of the "Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone" could not be decided because of disagreement, he suggested: "It’s better to call it the Special Zone. It was called the Special Zone from the beginning of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia! If the central government has no money, you can give some policies, and you can do it yourself and fight your way out. "

　　At the suggestion of Deng Xiaoping, the Central Working Conference formally discussed the requests of Guangdong and Fujian, and made a decision to pilot export special zones. On July 15, 1979, the State Council, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved the reports of Guangdong and Fujian provinces, pointing out: "To export to special zones, we can try it out in Shenzhen and Zhuhai first, and then consider setting up problems in Shantou and Xiamen after gaining experience." This great strategic decision has aroused strong repercussions at home and abroad.

　　Xi Zhongxun and Guangdong provincial committees quickly decided to set up a leading group to be responsible for the implementation of the central decision. As Xi Zhongxun said: "Since then, Guangdong has embarked on a glorious and arduous course by implementing special policies and flexible measures and establishing special economic zones in accordance with the guidelines of the central authorities." (Text/Han Xiaoqing)