to
             increase production, in all sectors of the economy. Though the easiest
             way to increase production was to increase capital inputs, China could
             only afford a limited amount of capital construction. In accordance to
             this, China went on a construction binge. Whole factories were
             purchased from abroad while others were built with local resources. By
             1978, the frenzy for new projects reached a level that reminded some
             people of the Great Leap Forward. In an effort to promote agricultural
             production, the government released many of the restrictions on the
             'spontaneous capitalist tendencies' of the peasantry. (173) In the
             late 1980's, the government decided to expand the scope of private
             marketing. Then the next step was to increase the amount land assigned
             to the peasants. The peasants were now not responsible to the
             government for the use they made to the private plots. They simply
             could grow what the wished, for the sale to the government or to
             private markets. This led to furious rebuilding and inflow of foreign
             investments. All this enabled China to remake itself into Asian's hub
             By 1984, they were producing more than $1 million worth of rice
             and a range of side products, including rice wine. Their residential
             earning was up to about $200 a year. ( Prager 52 ) This meant that
             they could begin replacing their mud-and-straw hats with solid brick
             houses. Shanghai today is a vast construction site with more
             ...