Deng Xiaoping Biography

Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of China from 1978 until his retirement in 1992. After Mao Zedong's death, Deng led his country through far-reaching market economic reforms. While Deng never held office as the head of state, head of government or General Secretary, he nonetheless was considered the "paramount leader" of the People's Republic of China from December 1978 to 1992. As the core of the second-generation leaders, Deng shared his power with several powerful older politicians commonly known as the Eight Elders.

Born into a peasant background in Guang'an, Sichuan province, Deng studied and worked in France in the 1920s, where he was influenced by Marxism-Leninism. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1923. Upon his return to China he worked as a political commissar for the military in rural regions and was considered a "revolutionary veteran" of the Long March. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Deng worked in Tibet and other southwestern regions to consolidate Communist control.

Deng was a major supporter of Mao in the early 1950s. Source: Wikipedia

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