February 24–March 8

The 1st Session of  the 5th CPPCC National Committee was convened. The Session passed the Charter of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and elected Deng Xiaoping chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

February 26–March 5

The 1st Session of  the 5th NPC was convened. The Session elected Ye Jianying chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, and appointed Hua Guofeng as premier of the State Council.

March 18–31

The National Science Congress was held. Deng Xiaoping emphasized in his opening address that science and technology were forces of production and pointed out that intellectual labor in the service of socialism made white-collar workers part of the working people. The Congress formulated the Outline of the National Plan for the Development of Science and Technology (1978–1985) (Draft).

April 5

The CPC Central Committee approved the Request for Instructions Concerning the Total Removal of the Label of  “Rightists” submitted by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Public Security. On September 17, the CPC Central Committee approved and distributed the Implementation Plan of the CPC Central Committee for the Total Removal of  the Label of  “Rightists,” which required sound work to be done to correct the wrong verdicts passed on to those who had been unjustifiably labeled as “Rightists.” By November, work relating to the nationwide removal of the label of “Rightists” had been completed. Work relating to the correction of the wrong verdicts passed on to those who had been unjustifiably labeled as “Rightists” was fundamentally completed in 1980.

May 10

An article entitled “Practice Is the Sole Criterion for Judging Truth” examined and approved by Hu Yaobang was published in the 60th issue of Theoretical Trends, an internal journal of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. On May 11, the Guangming Daily published the article under the byline of “Special Commentator.” Following its publication, discussions on the criterion of truth took place across the country under the guidance and support of Deng Xiaoping, making important ideological preparations for the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, and exerting profound and far-reaching influence on the historical course of the Party and the country.

July 6–September 9

The State Council held a meeting to discuss theoretical principles and ideological guidelines. The meeting focused on the issue of accelerating the building of the four modernizations, and stressed the need to hold nothing back in making use of foreign funds and for the large-scale introduction of foreign advanced technology and equipment. The meeting also discussed the issue of the reform of the economic management system.

August 12

The Sino-Japanese Treaty on Peace and Friendship was concluded in Beijing. From October 22 to 29, Deng Xiaoping paid a visit to Japan. This was the first time a Chinese leader visited Japan since the founding of the PRC.

November 10–December 15

A work conference of the CPC Central Committee was convened. It discussed, among other things, the issue of shifting the focus of the Party’s work towards socialist modernization. Chen Yun’s suggestions on solving problems left over by history were welcomed by the participants. On November 25, the Political Bureau of  the CPC Central Committee announced that the 1976 Tiananmen Incident and other unjust verdicts in history would be reversed. On December 13, Deng Xiaoping made an important speech entitled “Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, Unite as One and Adopt a Forward-Looking Approach.” This in fact served as the keynote speech for the upcoming 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee as well as a manifesto for blazing a new trail in this new period.

November 25

The Three-North (Northwest China, North China and Northeast China) Shelter Forest Program was set into motion. On May 7, 1990, the Shelter Forest Program for the Middle and Upper Reaches of  the Yangtze River was launched.

December 16

China and the United States issued the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of  Diplomatic Relations, declaring mutual  recognition  and establishment of diplomatic relations from January 1, 1979. On the same day, the United States announced that it would sever its so-called “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan on January 1, 1979.

December 18–22

The 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was convened. It criticized the erroneous “Two Whatevers” approach, fully recognized the need to have a full and precise understanding of the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, and highly praised the discussion on practice being the sole criterion for judging truth. It resolutely abandoned the use of the slogan—“grasp class struggle as the key link,” and made a historic decision to shift the focus of the Party’s and the country’s work towards economic construction and launch reform and opening up to the outside world. It decided to improve the Party’s system of democratic centralism, strengthen the leading organs of the Party, establish the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and elect Chen Yun first secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The Session marked the CPC’s re-establishment of  the ideological, political and organizational line of Marxism, constituted a turning point of profound significance in the history of the Party since the founding of the PRC, and ushered in a great journey of reform and opening up as well as socialist modernization.

December 23

A ceremony was held to mark the construction of  Shanghai Baoshan Iron and Steel General Plant. Its first-phase and second-phase projects were by November 1985 and April 1992 respectively completed and put into operation. By May 2001, its third-phase project passed the completion acceptance check. 

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, PP90-95