According to Xinhua, as the media increases its coverage of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Communist China, “some politically sensitive issues are surfacing.” It is a convention to separate the 60 years of the communist regime into the first 30 years (Mao Zedong’s era, with strong ideological control and poor economic development, but little corruption and social problems) versus the second 30 years (the Revolution and Opening up era, with strong economic growth but uncontrollable corruption and social problems). Xinhua stated that the authorities have informed the media that they should not use the first 30 years to belittle the second 30 years, and vice versa. Reports should use each period to justify the other one.
Also, each of the 30 years has its own theoretical basis. The Mao Zedong Thought vs. the Chinese Characteristic of Socialism (and they are in nature different from each other). According to the Party’s Central Committee’s request, reports should handle well the relationship between the two theories. The top leader has instructed that in-depth research should be done to find the connection between the two.
Source: Xinhua, July 13, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-07/13/content_11700924.htm