In 1982, at the dawn of China's reform and opening up, the institutions under the leadership of the government carried out an unprecedented reform. In this revolution, the 13 vice premiers underwent clever adjustments by Deng Gong, and in the end only two were lucky. This powerful and far-reaching institutional reform has been hailed as a new "revolution".
The background of this institutional reform can be traced back to 1981, in the early days of reform and opening up. At that time, the ministry was large and bloated, with 13 deputy prime ministers and as many as 100 departments, including 52 ministries and departments, as well as 48 other direct and office agencies. This phenomenon not only leads to low office efficiency, but also leads to a variety of departments and leadership levels due to historical and practical reasons.
After the era of social turmoil, the leading cadres who came back returned to their original posts and performed their duties as deputies. This led to a sharp increase in the number of people in the leadership. However, with the advancement of reform and opening up, ** realized that it was imperative to streamline institutions to meet the needs of the new era.
The critical moment of institutional reform occurred on March 8, 1982, when the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress passed a resolution to reduce the number of departments from 100 to 61, achieving effective consolidation. What is truly remarkable, however, is the dramatic drop in the number of deputy prime ministers, from 13 to 2, a drop of 85 per cent. This large-scale reform has become a model for institutional reform at all levels across the country, and has also opened a prelude to subsequent reforms.
The two survivors who stayed were Wan Li and Yao Yilin. At the time, the two young and capable deputy prime ministers were relatively young, 66 and 65 years old, respectively, and compared to some leaders in their 80s, they appeared to be in the prime of life. What's more, their talent and ability have also been highly recognized.
Wanli is known as a pioneer of China's rural reform. He came to Anhui in June 1977 and witnessed the poverty of the local farmers. In the face of the disputed land lump sum issue, Wan Li stepped forward to support this new approach. In 1978, he personally went to Xiaogang Village to investigate and found the success of the lump sum method, which was subsequently promoted throughout the province and achieved great success. At the beginning of 1980, Wan Li was transferred to Beijing and became vice premier, specializing in agricultural work, and was praised as "China's reform began in the countryside, and the rural reform began in Anhui, and Comrade Wan Li was meritorious".
Yao Yilin is an expert in economic construction, and as early as 1946, he began to engage in industrial and commercial work in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area, making contributions to the local economic development. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he followed ** for a long time and learned the essence of leading economic work. After the reform and opening up, Yao Yilin and other young cadres with rich experience in economic management remained as vice premiers, providing strong support for the country's economic construction.
** Knowing that young and knowledgeable cadres are needed to lead national affairs in the new era. Therefore, choosing Wan Li and Yao Yilin, two experienced leaders, to remain as vice premiers has become a wise choice. This has also laid a solid foundation for China's reform and opening up, and has made brilliant achievements.
In the end, this institutional reform is a profound refresh of China's first-class system, and it is an innovation promoted by China's first-class system to adapt to the new situation. By reducing the number of deputy prime ministers from 13 to 2, it not only improves the efficiency of implementation, but also provides a strong model for subsequent reforms. Wan Li and Yao Yilin, who remained behind, have made outstanding contributions to China's development with their outstanding leadership and practical performance.
Although this institutional reform has affected important positions, it is also worth remembering the high spirits of the other 11 deputy prime ministers. It is precisely because of the dedication and dedication of a group of outstanding leaders that China's reform and opening up has been able to achieve such brilliant results. Let's look back on this history and pay tribute to the wise decisions and leadership of that special moment.