China. In a statement titled “Scientific Research Must Be Given Priority,” Deng Xiaoping radically changed the course of Chinese history by giving top priority to science and technology in China’s economic development, as well as to professional retraining and the encouragement of talent and individual initiative. These were all aspects that during the Cultural Revolution had been undermined by political purges, the complete closure of universities, and the promotion of incompetent individuals for ideological reasons. This was a radical shift.
