Deng Xiaoping, a controversial figure throughout his political career, was twice purged from power. Deng became the dominant figure in Chinese politics after he returned to power in 1978. Under Deng's leadership, China implemented policies of economic liberalization, including the market system of supply and demand for distributing goods, services, and resources. These policies replaced many of China's centrally planned economic policies. Deng's statement that "I don't care whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice" illustrates his practical, nonideological approach to modernizing China. In other words, Deng did not care if he used capitalist methods as long as they helped modernize China faster than socialist methods.
Deng's economic liberalization policies frequently were blamed when problems such as inflation and corruption occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. Those opposing his policies used this as their rationale for retreating from economic liberalization twice during the 1980s. Since 1992, however, when Deng reasserted the need to move ahead with economic liberalization, the leadership has fairly steadily implemented Deng's policies.
Deng did not hold any official post in his final years of life; but, from 1992 until he died in February 1997, his policies were not successfully challenged. By 1997, the liberalizing reforms he had introduced had enjoyed such remarkable success that it is unlikely they will be undone any time soon, regardless of who leads China.