Mainland China's economy first began changing in 1978, when following the fall of the Gang of Four, Teng Hsiao-p'ing put forward his program of economic reform.
這些變化主要還是由中共的「經濟改革」引發的。中共改變作風一九七八年，「四人幫」倒台後，一方面是已窮到盡頭，另方面則是意識型態留下的空缺，必須及時彌補，於是鄧小平提出「經濟改革」的計畫。