China has undergone a radical makeover in the ten years since Deng 's reforms . CNN 's Jaime FlorCruz remembers China as being poor and isolated . China has transformed from quiet neighborhoods to a city of skyscrapers . Incredibly , China has pulled off the equivalent of reform , renaissance and industrial revolution in 30 years . Deng disbanded communes , created Special Economic Zones , touted universities .
China has undergone a radical makeover in the ten years since Deng 's reforms . CNN 's Jaime FlorCruz remembers China as being poor and isolated . China has transformed from quiet neighborhoods to a city of skyscrapers . Deng disbanded communes , created Special Economic Zones , touted universities .