Deng Xiaoping's south tour talks
China, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, stood at a crossroad of reform and opening up and its growth model. If the country did not make the right choice, the theoretical, organizational and political guidelines the Party had established after the Third Plenary Session of its 11th Central Committee, the basic principle established at the Party’s 13th National Congress for the primary stage of socialism, socialist reform and opening up, and Chinese socialism itself might all go to sidetracks.
At this critical moment, Deng Xiaoping – the chief architect of reform and opening up – who had retired from the core post of the Party’s second generation leadership, made an inspection tour of south China, visiting Wuchang, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shanghai between January 18 and February 21, 1992. The 88-year-old Deng gave some important talks, collectively known as the “South Tour Talks.” He expressed a deep hope for the cause of the Party and the people, a strong sense of political and strategic issues, and an acute awareness of potential dangers.
On March 26, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily published a full report on Deng’s visit to the city, and listed the main points of his remarks during the tour. Deng’s talks reiterated the need to firmly adhere to the Party’s basic line of “one central task and two basic points” and the socialist path with distinctive Chinese features, to seize the opportunity of the moment to accelerate reform and opening up, and to concentrate on economic development. He also elaborated on what socialism is and the essence of socialism.
Targeting the misgivings existing among the people, Deng reviewed the experiences and lessons from China’s reform and opening up over the previous 14 years, and stressed the importance of deeper reform and faster development. He also put forth new ideas and new approaches regarding major theoretical and practical issues, and answered a number of questions that had troubled officials and the general public for quite some time. His talks were deemed of political value to the whole Party and the whole nation.
These talks represented the formation and maturing of Deng Xiaoping Theory, and inspired the second round of China’s reform and opening up. They provided timely answers to the questions of “what is socialism and how to build socialism.” They effectively freed people’s minds, and reaffirmed their faith in socialism. Hailed as a milestone in building Chinese socialism, they boosted China’s economic reform and social progress in the 1990s, and their influence also extends into the 21st century.
邓小平南方谈话
20世纪80年代末90年代初的中国，处在社会主义改革开放、社会主义现代化道路与模式探索不进则退的临界点上，处在选择前进方向的十字路口上。如果不迅速摆脱这种困境、任不良倾向发展，十一届三中全会以来党确立的正确的思想路线、组织路线、政治路线就会被扭曲，党的十三大确立的社会主义初级阶段的基本路线就会被扭转，社会主义改革开放事业就会中途搁置，中国的社会主义事业可能再次偏离正确的航程。
在这一关键时刻，1992年1月18日至2月21日，当时已正式告别中央领导岗位的党的第二代领导核心、改革开放的总设计师邓小平，以88岁的高龄，凭着对党和人民伟大事业的深切期待，以强烈的政治意识、战略意识和忧患意识，先后赴武昌、深圳、珠海和上海视察并发表一系列重要讲话，通称“南方谈话”。
1992年3月26日，《深圳特区报》率先发表《东方风来满眼春——邓小平同志在深圳纪实》的重大社论报道，并集中阐述邓小平南方谈话的要点内容。讲话重点解决了坚定不移地贯彻执行党的“一个中心、两个基本点”的基本路线、坚持走有中国特色社会主义道路、抓住有利时机加快改革开放的步伐、集中精力把经济建设搞上去和什么是社会主义及社会主义的本质等问题。讲话针对人们思想中普遍存在的疑虑，重申深化改革、加速发展的必要性和重要性，并从中国实际出发，站在时代的高度，深刻总结十多年改革开放的经验教训，在一系列重大的理论和实践问题上提出新观点、讲出新思路，回答了多年来困扰和束缚干部群众思想的许多重大认识问题，是给全党和全国人民的一份最宝贵的政治嘱托。
“南方谈话”的发表标志邓小平理论的形成和成熟，也标志中国改革开放第二次浪潮的掀起和中国改革进入新阶段。这一系列重要讲话及时深刻地回答了中国改革开放中“什么是社会主义，怎样建设社会主义”的重大问题，极大地解放了人们的思想并坚定了人们的社会主义信念，极大地推动了我国改革开放的进程，是建设有中国特色社会主义道路上的一座里程碑。“南方谈话”不仅对中国20世纪90年代的经济改革与社会进步起到关键性推动作用，对21世纪中国的改革与发展同样产生着不可估量的推动作用。