24 CultureShock! China
from her neighbours. Following closely on the heels of Mao’s
experiment came a decisive break with (and closure of the
money tap from) the Soviet Union in 1962. The return to
stability and productivity following such a massive disruption
of the country’s economy was not swift, nor without political
consequences for Mao. Primary among them was a visible
retreat from some of his more aggressive policies, in an
attempt to appease his increasingly vocal opponents.A statue of Mao Zedong, the charismatic Communist Party leader of the
People’s Republic of China.