Editing Hua Guofeng (section)

== Legacy ==
Hua's legacy is often reduced to the [[Two Whatevers]]: "uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made, and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave."{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}}

Economic historian [[Isabella Weber]] argues that the Hua's upholding of the Two Whatevers policy is an overemphasized aspect of Hua's legacy.{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}} Weber argues that "Paying tribute to Mao in the year after his passing was hardly unique to Hua" and that the Two Whatevers slogan was also upheld by [[Chen Yun]], who along with Deng Xiaoping superseded Hua.{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}}

Hua's break with Cultural Revolution era economic policies were consistent with the 1975 reform agenda of Deng.{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}}  Hua made national economic development a matter of the highest priority and emphasized the need to achieve "liberation of productive forces".{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}} He "combined [[Industrialization in the Soviet Union|Soviet-style big push industrialization]] with an opening up to the capitalist world" and under his leadership, China opened its first [[Special economic zones of China|Special Economic Zone]] and launched major efforts to attract foreign direct investment.{{Sfn|Weber|2021|p=106}} Hua's encouraged a local economy policy that included both planned elements and limited market freedom of the sort that Mao had previously derided as [[economism]].{{Sfn|Karl|2010|p=160–161}} Additionally, Hua also encouraged free debates within the CCP, which aimed to promote a more reformist form of [[Maoism]]. His political and economic reforms contributed to the early de facto de-Maoization in China, therefore paved the way for [[Chinese economic reform]] led by Deng.{{Sfn|Li-Ogawa|2022|p=129}}

Hua removed the controls that the Gang of Four had established over cultural and educational policy. The relaxation of controls over cultural content resulted in a transition from revolutionary art to more market-oriented and individualist works like [[scar literature]].{{Sfn|Karl|2010|p=160–161}} Hua regained the loyalty of party cadre and intellectuals, who had generally been marginalized during the Cultural Revolution. This strengthened the party apparatus and contributed to national stability.{{Sfn|Karl|2010|p=160–161}}

The ousting of Hua was significant in at least two respects. First, it demonstrated the unimportance of official titles in the Chinese Communist Party during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite being the official leader of the party, the state, and the army, Hua was unable to defeat a leadership challenge by Deng Xiaoping. Secondly, Hua's ousting reflected a change of policies which were initiated by Deng Xiaoping according to which disgraced party members would merely be stripped of their positions, they would not be jailed or physically harmed.