CHINA: CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING TURNS 92 YEARS OLD

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• published: 23 Jul 2015
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Mandarin/Nat China's paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, turns 92 years old Thursday. Despite not having been seen in public for almost two years, Deng remains China's most influential political figure. His birthplace in central Sichuan province - 14-hundred kilometres (850 miles) from the capital - is visited by thousands each year. But the surrounding area has benefited little from the economic vitality Deng's reforms have brought to other parts of China. A newly paved road running through the brick and mud buildings of Paifang village is the only sign of government largesse. Paifang's neglect seems odd in a China where connections are everything. In the battle for official favours, Paifang should win hands down - it's the birthplace of Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China's successful economic reforms. In the village, frustration over the poor living conditions is mixed with admiration for Paifang's favourite son. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "Of course we are different from the people out there. We are the people of the home village of 'Chairman' Deng." SUPER CAPTION: Li Ming Quan, Paifang resident, 63-years-old His plight is common in this village of two-thousand people. Its 400 families on average earn about one-thousand yuan (120 U-S dollars) per year, well below the government-set poverty line. Pride in Deng's success is obvious in this small museum, which is housed in the well-to-do landowner's home he was born in. Opened in 1982, the museum attracts about 300 to 400 visitors a day, many from Sichuan province itself. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "We have been to Deng's old house a number of times, me and my wife, because he has been caring for us so much." SUPER CAPTION: Chen Yun Heng, Visitor, 83-years-old Visitors can view photos of Deng as a student in France, fighting the Japanese and Nationalists in China and climbing the ranks of the Communist Party, in the shadow of Mao Tse-tung. Visitors like to take pictures in front of the whitewashed mud stucco and wood-beam home. For some elders, the trip to the museum is like a pilgrimage - bringing back memories of a bygone era of revolution. Younger visitors take a more realistic view, praising the reforms launched by Deng 18 years ago. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "Deng Xiaoping represents a period of time in our history. He just looked at the society in a very foresighted way, but we shouldn't regard him as a pillar of our country and think everything will crumble when he'll disappear." SUPER CAPTION: Lu Jian, Student, 21-years-old Deng rejected the cult of personality his predecessor, Mao Tse-tung, encouraged. Despite this, inside his birth place a souvenir stand sells pins, medallions and photographs of Deng, one of the few places such items can be found. Deng supported setting up the museum as long as "his achievements were not exaggerated", says curator Qi Yansong. The ex-communist party local secretary has been looking after the place for the last 14 years. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "Deng is 92 now. Of course we feel very, very sorry when he will die. However our wish is that he can live as long as possible, because his being alive is important to China. It makes it easier for people to follow his policies of reforms and opening without any change." SUPER CAPTION: Qi Yansong, Museum curator At 22 years old, Deng left Paifang for school in Chungking, a neighbouring city. Two years later, he went to France. Even after his return to the motherland, he never came back to Paifang. And, although they like to talk about him, most people in the village never actually met him. Deng's only surviving relative in the village is Dan Wenquan, son of Deng's mother's sister. As he doesn't know how to read, these media visits provide a good distraction. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/499206384165cdc3fd09ac00268cd0e6 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork