The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in December 1978: The historic turning point

The session criticized the principle of "two whatevers" ("we will resolutely defend whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave"), while approving a complete and accurate study of Mao Zedong Thought. After the meeting, the second generation of Party leaders formed around Deng Xiaoping. The meeting marked China's entry into a new era of socialist modernization and construction.

The Third Plenary Session of the 12th CPC Central Committee in October 1984: Reform moves from the countryside to the cities