Naturalizing "Gui Lv" - the Transformation of CCP's Understanding of the Society during 1977-1979

Bolun Zhang, Zhejiang University
Yimang Zhou, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

The transition from Maoist China to a market economy represents a significant shift in the country's socio-economic landscape. This shift was underpinned by a change in ideological paradigms, wherein politics began to be influenced by broader social laws. The transformation is vividly illustrated by the article “Act according to economic laws” from the People's Daily. This study investigates the dynamics of this radical transformation, questioning how "economic laws" rapidly ascended to a dominant position in China's sociotechnical narrative, shaping causal perceptions. In an environment devoid of a civil rights discourse, this research explores how economic considerations supplanted discussions of politics and society to become the meta narrative framework. Employing various computational social science tools and analyzing a corpus from the People's Daily, our study focuses on the evolving context and interpretations surrounding the concept of "Gui Lv" (law), shedding light on these significant changes.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 64. Commemorating Xiaohong Xu: Historicizing the Cultural Revolution and the Reform