Face-Off: The U.S. vs China From Mao to Xi Jinping: A Conversation with Orville Schell
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Apr 24, 2025 AI Snips
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Anecdote: Life Under Mao's Watch
- Orville Schell worked in Chinese factories in 1975 under Mao's influence as part of a youth labor brigade.
- He experienced strict control, with limited genuine interaction allowed between foreigners and workers.
Anecdote: Deng's Texas Rodeo
- Deng Xiaoping's 1979 visit to Texas symbolized a new era of Sino-American friendship and openness.
- The Texas rodeo with hats and country music was masterful theater signaling thawing relations and mutual respect.
Insight: China's Reform Then Collapse
- The 1980s in China were a time of unprecedented openness and reform under Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang.
- The democracy movements ended abruptly with the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, ending reform hopes and engagement efforts.