ABSTRACT
Much evidence above shows that China's refonns were not caused by just a few "great men." Carlisle's historiography could not explain what happened. But most Chinese people spoke as if it could, and not all PRC leaders were alike in popular opinion. In Shanghai and elsewhere, most citizens gave high leaders credit for directing everything, even if they guessed otherwise. They commonly reported popular preferences for some CCP politicians, as compared to others who had similar government posts.
