Editing Legitimacy

This research note is a textual comparison between different versions of Deng Xiaoping’s two speeches in May and June 1989 using recently accessible scanned copies of original documents distributed to local officials. It reveals numerous alterations—including both deletions and additions—in the later published texts. The research note suggests that in the context of the early 1990s, these editorial efforts were made to restore the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party by highlighting Deng’s image as a pragmatic reformer, maintaining Jiang Zemin’s position as the core of the new leadership, downplaying the party’s internal struggles and corruption, and assuring people that China would continue its market-oriented reform. More broadly, findings in the research note showcase the essential role of propaganda in legitimation under the Chinese communist regime.