What changes have occurred in Guangzhou’s reform and opening up?

The changes with Guangzhou characteristics can be said to be reflected in five aspects.

First of all, the most basic change can be said to be the social status of Guangzhou, which has changed from the frontline of famine preparation to the frontline of investment and business attraction. The so-called frontline preparation for war and famine refers to the fact that before the reform and opening up, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao were not unified into the embrace of the motherland, and there was a high possibility of confrontation. Due to its geographical location close to Hong Kong and Macao, the Guangzhou area became a frontline for preparation for war. As the front line of pioneering, it cannot become the focus of domestic investment, and industrial and agricultural bases are not chosen here. Therefore, many people smuggle to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan due to poverty. After the reform and opening up, due to its geographical advantage close to Hong Kong and Taiwan, Guangdong took the lead in enjoying various preferential conditions of economic policies in the country and became a key and pioneer city for investment and business. Therefore, the Guangzhou area transformed into a reform and opening up city. The forefront of reform and various favorable conditions have made the Guangzhou area a paradise for business. Many people who smuggled to Hong Kong and Taiwan even came back with funds after the reform.

Secondly, due to the changes in the political and economic life of Guangdong, the flow of people will inevitably occur, and the direction will obviously change from north to south. Before and during the early stages of reform, mainlanders were unwilling to stay and work in Guangzhou. Young people who joined the army in Guangzhou were willing to return to the north after demobilization. This was because Guangdong's economy had not yet developed and living conditions were relatively difficult. , there seems to be little development prospect left here. After the reform and opening up, with the rapid development of the economy, the rapid and new information received, the flexible income distribution system, and the novel employment perspectives, the attractiveness of the dynamic Guangzhou area has also increased day by day, becoming a place to attract and gather talents. Therefore, many talents from the mainland have come to Go south and look for room for development. At the same time, due to the rapid development of cities, infrastructure construction requires a large amount of labor, and it has become a trend for migrant workers to go south to work. There is even a saying that "people from the east, west, south, north, and middle make their fortunes in Guangdong."

Thirdly, the concept of city has undergone tremendous changes. The scope and connotation from rural to urban are no longer the same as before. Guangzhou people are accustomed to calling places outside Guangzhou the countryside. This reflects not only the geographical differences, but also the economic, cultural and psychological differences. But we can no longer say this. Due to the rapid development of Guangzhou's central urban area, the demand for land, environment and transportation facilities has increased dramatically. The land use and infrastructure construction in the central urban area cannot support the sustainable development of the city. Therefore, the urban area continues to expand. Today's Guangzhou City is not the same as yesterday's. Guangzhou City is no longer a concept at all. At the same time, the economy of the towns surrounding Guangzhou is also developing rapidly, and the differences between urban and rural areas are reducing. Dongguan, Shenzhen, Shunde, Foshan, and Nanhai are gradually connected with Guangzhou. The former urban and rural areas have become large and small cities and connected into an urban agglomeration, forming the Pearl River Delta economy. It cannot be said that this is not a direct result of investment promotion and reform and opening up.

The fourth aspect is the change in people's life interests and people's pursuit of quality of life, which can be seen from the popularity of Heimei toothpaste to the popularity of "Beauty in the Flower City". In 1986, Guangzhou launched the "Black Girl" brand toothpaste, which became famous throughout the country for the image of a pure and lively girl in the advertisement. As Black Girl toothpaste has become a household name, the beautiful mornings, wide streets, playful young girls, and fashionable young people holding mobile phones in the commercials convey a unique feeling of health, vitality, freshness, joy, and confidence that is unique to Black Girls. . The term "black girl" has also become popular. Some people are even called "black girl" toothpaste by others because of their dark appearance. Its advertisements also reflected people's standards of beauty at that time. The brand of toothpaste they had to choose also reflected people's quality of life at that time. Now the "Beauty in Flower City" beauty pageant has spread across the country with the development of Guangzhou, attracting not only contestants from Guangzhou, but also more and more people from all over the country. Guangzhou can be said to be the birthplace of national beauty pageants. It introduced entertainment models from Hong Kong and Taiwan earlier, reflecting the advanced ideas of Guangzhou people and gradually gaining recognition. The change from Black Girl Toothpaste to Beauty in Flower City can at least show that with the continuous increase of the foreign population, the second generation of immigrants has grown up, which has caused great changes in the diet and living habits of Guangzhou people, and even in their appearance. reflect.

Fifth, the phenomenon of “Looking from a distance looks like foreign goods, but looking up close looks like Guangzhou goods” best illustrates the impact of Guangzhou’s economic development on people’s lives. In the early days of reform and opening up, due to production processes, technical equipment and other reasons, most of the goods with good quality were imported foreign goods. People who pursued fashion liked to buy foreign goods for a while. However, with the development of productivity and the deepening of investment and business introduction, the Guangzhou area, taking advantage of the forefront of reform and opening up, quickly mastered various advanced technologies, and Guangzhou goods became popular. Many goods sold in the mainland were produced in Guangdong. There used to be " "Eat Guangzhou grain, drink Pearl River water" is a saying. For example, most of the biscuits sold in the mainland are produced in Guangdong. For example, wafers and crackers are all Cantonese-style sayings. Various electrical appliances produced in Guangdong are novel and beautiful, and are very influential in the country, and Guangdong's clothing styles often become the trend indicator... Guangdong products are fashionable and novel, whether it is the diversification of product varieties or the market adaptability of enterprises, Guangzhou products have taken the lead and gradually formed a brand effect. Manufacturers from all over the country like to purchase goods in Guangzhou. This change from pursuing foreign goods to pursuing Guangdong goods not only reflects the pioneering spirit of Guangdong people, but also shows people's yearning for Guangdong people who are at the forefront of reform and opening up and have a relatively developed economy and culture.