Reform and Opening-up

The goal of Chinese economic reform, which refers to the program of economic reforms called "Socialism with Chinese characteristics", was to generate sufficient surplus value to finance the modernization of the mainland Chinese economy.

Economic reforms have helped lift millions of people out of poverty, bringing the poverty rate down from 53% of the population in the Mao era to 12% in 1981, and only 6% by 2001.

Generally, these reforms were not the results of a grand strategy, but as immediate responses to pressing problems.

Although it has been characterised by many in the West as a return to capitalism, Chinese officials have insisted that it is a form of socialism.

1. 拨乱反正 （治平乱世， 回复正常）

bring order out of chaos; clarify confusion and bring things back to order; clear up all the confusions and rectify all reversals of right and wrong; clear up what has been confounded and set things right; clear up what was confused and put things to rights; dispel chaos and restore peace; get wrongs righted; put down disturbances and restore order; put down rebellion and restore order; right wrongs; restore things to order; set right the error in line; set the wrong right; set things right; set things straight; set to right things which have been thrown into disorder

【例】In fact, we had begun to set things to rights as early as 1975.

其实，拨乱反正在一九七五年就开始了。

2. 计划生育 family planning; birth control

【例】Accelerating legislation on population and family planning.

加快人口与计划生育法制建设。

3. 希望工程 the Hope Project

【例】Over the past seven years,"the Hope Project" has received an accumulative total of 978 million yuan of donations, which has been used to build 3,634 "Hope" schools and aided 1.549 million dropouts.

“希望工程”七年来已累计接受捐款9.78亿元，援建希望小学3634所，资助失学儿童154.9万名。

4. 一国两制 one nation, two systems; the “one country, two system” policy

【例】"One country, two systems" is the best way for the reunification between the two sides.

“一国两制”是两岸统一的最佳方式。

5. 严打 take severe measures against grave illegal and criminal activities，severe crackdown on crimes

【例】The principle of severely cracking down on crimes must be adhered to, and we should combine punishment with prevention with emphasis on the latter, and to maintain law and order in a comprehensive way.
坚持“严打”方针，打防结合、预防为主，全面落实社会治安综合治理的各项措施。

6. 裁军 disarmament

【例】The superpowers are unlikely to disarm completely.

超级大国不太可能彻底裁军.

7. 经济特区 special economic zone

【例】Shenzhen Special Economic Zone has played a very positive role as a window bridge and economic powerhouse.

深圳经济特区发挥了很好的窗口作用和辐射作用。

8. 下海 plunge into the commercial sea,go into business,go in for business

知识补充：

下海”一词是在中国刚开放时的用词，意思就是做生意。也含有风险的意思。改革开放之初，市场经济开始繁荣，一个新的自由空间正在出现。一些人，主要是政府机关人员、企事业单位工作人员等放弃在传统体制内的位置，转而到这一新的空间里创业经商、谋求发展，这样的行为被称作“下海”。

9. 863计划 863 Program（Plan）

【例】 And actively coordinate with relevant national sectors, the projects of the High-Tech Olympic Plan will be brought into such plans as the High-Tech Research and Development (863) Programme, the Key Technologies R&D Programme, the 973 programme, the intellectual innovation project, National Natural Science Fund and the plan of military transferring civil use etc, and guarantee the input of science and technology.

与国家有关部门积极配合，将奥运科技规划项目纳入到863计划、科技攻关计划、973计划、知识创新工程、自然科学基金、军转民等国家主要科技计划中去，保证科技投入。