ABSTRACT
Editors' Introduction: Yan paints a panoramic picture of the reforms that need to be implemented for China to become prosperous. The spirit of optimism infuses this essay, which was Yan's speech given at the Ta Kung Pao anniversary gathering in early 1988, when China was soon to launch a number of major policy initiatives, including an ill-fated price reform. The optimism here contrasts sharply with the pessimism found in "A Conversation with Professor Wen Yuankai," published in December 1988 (Text 16). By the end of 1988, spiralling inflation had frightened the Chinese leadership into adopting a stringent economic austerity program.
