"Turbulent Thirty Years" Author: Wu Xiaobo Publisher: CITIC Press

Introduction · · · · · ·
Although any period of history has its irreplaceable uniqueness, China from 1978 to 2008 is impossible to repeat. In a country with a population of 1.3 billion, the rigid planned economic system gradually collapsed, and a group of small people turned China into a huge testing ground. Under the watchful eyes of the public, it irreversibly transformed into a commercial society.

The author of this book did not write this book in the traditional way of textbooks or history books. Instead, he used a folk perspective and a true and inspiring writing style to describe the growth and development of Chinese enterprises in the era of reform and opening up, going to the market and the world. The surging tide of commodities in the early days of reform and opening up; the tortuous development of the three forces of state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, and foreign-funded enterprises, which rose and fell and played against each other; the restlessness and anxiety of the whole society... all of these are reflected very truly and realistically in the whole manuscript. The author uses inspiring words to reproduce people's passion, joy, shouting, distress and grief in the creation of history.

The author does not present some events and characters in isolation to the readers. The history he writes is tangible and perceptible, full of flesh and blood, movement and contingency. He puts the characters and events in the context of international and domestic policies, society and the reality of the time, and uses a combination of overall and individual descriptions to clearly present the tortuous development process of a Chinese enterprise to the readers.

The past thirty years of reform and opening up have been so glorious, especially for the Chinese nation which has been silent for a hundred years. It carries the glory and dreams of too many people, and it is the entire memory of almost a generation growing up together.