The focus of this vintage photo collection by Dr. Donald Gibbs, UC Davis Emeritus Professor of Chinese language, literature and film, is China in 1979. Why 1979? That was a significant year for China, a watershed year. Mao died in 1976 and until he was gone change seemed impossible for China. A new regime under Deng Xiaoping came to power and it swept away much, but not all, of the ultra-radical policies that had governed China chaotically and often tragically for 40 years.