UNIVERSITY students in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai are engaging in fresh studies of Deng Thought following the 15th Congress' decision to confirm the theories of Deng Xiaoping as the official theoretical basis for reform.
Shanghai was the first Chinese city to introduce Deng Thought as an elective course to its higher institutions of learning. Since 1994, 34 of the city's 40 universities and colleges have begun courses on Deng Thought. Some students have even set up their own study groups to discuss the theories.
According to official statistics, 97 per cent of university and college students in Shanghai believe Deng Thought has provided 'a crucial theoretical basis for China's reforms and modernisation'.
The decision by Beijing University to offer courses on Deng Thought in five of its faculties has also had positive repercussions in academic circles.
In Tianjin, an organisation researching Deng Thought was founded with about 3,000 students from Nankai University joining. Its main focus is to assist students in learning, analysing and promoting the former leader's theories.
