January 1

   The CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Ten Policies to Further Invigorate the Rural Economy, determining to roll out the system of purchase by contract and market for farm produce as of 1985 to replace the system of monopolized purchase and prescribed purchase.

January 21

   September 10 was made Teachers’ Day at the 9th Session of the 6th NPC Standing Committee.

February 18

   The CPC Central Committee and the State Council approved and distributed the Summary of Forum on the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and the Hokkien Golden Triangle, determining to develop open coastal economic zones in the three areas. On March 18, 1988, the Circular of the State Council Concerning the Expansion of the Scope of the Open Coastal Economic Zones was issued, which made clear that 140 more cities and counties including three provincial capitals—Hangzhou, Nanjing and Shenyang were to be included. After that, the State Council decided to open up a new batch of inland cities, cities along the river and border and provincial capitals. A multi-level, multi-channel pattern of all-round opening up had taken shape.

February 20

    China’s first research base in Antarctica, the Great Wall Station built on the King George Island, was officially opened. And the Zhongshan Station, Kunlun Station and Taishan Station in Antarctica were completed afterwards.

March 4

   During a meeting with foreign guests, Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the two great issues of global strategic significance confronting the world were first, peace, and second, economic development. The former involved East-West relations, while the latter involved North-South relations. In short, countries in the East, West, North, and South were all involved. The North-South relations were the key question.

March 13

   The CPC Central Committee adopted the Decision on the Reform of the Science and Technology System which claimed that economic development must rely on science and technology, and the work of science and technology must be geared to economic development.

April 1

   China introduced the export tax rebate system.

May 23–June 6

   Deng Xiaoping announced at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission that China was determined to reduce the PLA forces by one million. The meeting marked a strategic shift in the guiding principles for military building.

May 27

   The Decisions on the Reform of the Education System was issued by the CPC Central Committee, which expounded the measures, steps and purposes of the reform and urged to implement the nine-year compulsory education stage by stage, step up vocational education and technical training, reform recruitment and job-placement systems of institutions of  higher learning and provide them with more autonomy.

May

   The CPC Central Committee and the State Council approved the “Spark Program” which aimed to promote the rural economy in virtue of science and technology.

June 9–15

   The Five-Year Plan to Acquaint Citizens with Basic Knowledge of Law was passed on the 1st National Conference on Legal Publicity and Education. By the year of 2018, China had implemented seven five-year plans for law popularization.

From:Chronicle of the People's Republic of China(October 1949—September 2019), edited by The Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, PP.120-123.