Marx Is Dead--Long Live Marx

After introducing a number of economic reforms over the past few years, China last week adopted a device common in Western newspapers: the correction. That rare gesture came after People's Daily printed a front-page commentary asserting "We cannot expect the works of Marx and Lenin to solve our present-day problems of that time." Two days later, however, the paper announced that its commentary should have read, "We cannot expect the works of Marx and Lenin of that time to solve all of our present-day problems."

The original remark was attributed to a recent address by Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang, an impulsive speaker who has required public correction before, and reflects the thinking of Chinese Leader Deng Xiaoping. The remark was misinterpreted abroad as a major ideological shift, evidently persuading Chinese reformers to qualify Hu's words for fear of inciting a back lash among party conservatives. "Such a fuss is the last thing we wanted," said a Chinese intellectual. "We need a quiet revolution."