Produced by: Manoj Kumar
In 1949, China’s GDP per capita was just $50. Life expectancy? 36. It was poorer than Sudan. Today it outpaces the EU in millionaires. What the hell happened in between?
The Great Leap Forward wasn’t just a failed policy—it triggered the deadliest famine in recorded history. Pots turned into steel. Crops vanished. 3 crore lives were lost. Mao’s dream became a nightmare.
Deng Xiaoping didn’t chant slogans—he rewired an economy. “Black cat, white cat”—he didn’t care. As long as it caught mice. That quote launched a $19 trillion transformation.
In 1980, it was a fishing village. By 2024, Shenzhen’s economy matched Sweden’s. Deng’s Special Economic Zones turned empty coastlines into global hubs in just four decades.
Cheap labor. Brutal infrastructure. “Made in China” became the world’s label. Between 2001 and 2011, China added a France-sized economy to its GDP every single year.
Joining the WTO in 2001 was China’s real cheat code. Exports exploded. Foreign money poured in. Over 400 million people escaped poverty. Global trade would never be the same.
From assembling gadgets to building them—Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei: China shifted from imitation to innovation. Silicon Valley had a new challenger—and it was state-backed.
COVID and sanctions forced a pivot. “Dual Circulation” was the new playbook—boost exports and build internal consumption. China became not just a factory, but a fortress.
$19 trillion strong—but at what cost? Surveillance, censorship, crumbling birth rates, and a bloated property sector. The rise was real—but the restraints are, too.