一个亿万富翁之家的成长之路Inthe1950s,theLiufamilyofsouthwestChina’sSichuanProvincewassoshortoffood,theysentoneoftheiryoungestsonstoberaisedbyanotherfamily.Today,however,theyareoneofChina’srichestfamilies.RisingfrompublicscornduringtheCulturalRevolution,thefourLiubrothersmanagedtoturnasmallquail-breedingfarmintoChina’slargestprivatecompany,latersplittingitintofour.“Thedifficultieswewentthroughintheearlyyearsmadeusstrong,”says60-year-oldLiuYongxing,aformerfactoryworkerwhoForbeslistsasthewealthiestpersoninChina,withafortuneestimatedat$3billion.TheLiusareChina’sfirst-generationbillionaires,bornintoaworldofMaosuits,foodrations,pricecontrolsandCommunistslogans.AndthestoryofhowtheymadetheirfortuneisconsideredoneoftheguidingmythsofChina’sCommunistparty,asymbolofthiscountry’stransformationoverthelast30years,sinceitsunlikelyembraceofcapitalism.ButtheirstoryalsobetraysthecontradictionsofmodernChina—acountrywheretheaveragefactoryworkermakeslessthan$50aweek.“ThepuzzleisnotwhytheLiubrotherssucceeded,butwhytherearenotmoreliketheminChina,”saysHuangYasheng,whoteachesattheSloanSchoolofManagementattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyandisanexpertonChineseentrepreneurs.“RuralChinarepresentsavastpoolofentrepreneurialcapabilitiesandsubstantialbusinessopportunities.”AstheglobaleconomyentersitsfirstdrasticdownturnsinceChinaopenedtotheworld,analystssaythiscountryissearchingforamoresustainablepathtogrowth.WaningforeigndemandthreatenstostallitseconomicmiracleandBeijing’sleadersaretryingtocopewiththeundersidesofgrowth,likerisinginequalityandenvironmentaldegradation.“Theoldgamehasstartedcollapsing,”saysXuXiaonian,aprofessorofeconomicsattheChinaEuropeInternationalBusinessSchoolinShanghai,referringtoChina’sinefficientexport-orientedeconomicmodel,whichcanbepronetooverheat.“Wearenowinatransitionperiod.Weneedtofindnewwaystodothings.”ThehopeamongeconomistsisthatChina’snextpathtoricheswillinspireanevenlargerandmoreinnovativegroupofentrepreneurs,andtapmoreofthisnation’simpoverishedruralareas.FortheLiufamily,thejourneyfromtheretoherewasseeminglyimpossible.TheirroadtorichesisdocumentedinasmallmuseumtheybuilthereinGujiavillage,onthegroundsoftheirfirstfeedmill,wherephotographsshowthebrothersexaminingsuppliesandposingwithChineseandworldleaders,likeJiangZemin,BillClinton,TonyBlairandJacquesChirac.Theyalsobuiltamemorialabout200mileseastofhereinthehometownoftheirhero,DengXiaoping,theformerChineseleaderwhoisconsideredthearchitectofChina’seconomicreformsLikemanyChineseentrepreneurs,theLiustracetheirfortunesbacktoDecember1978,whenMr.DengpresidedovertheThirdPlenarysessionoftheCommunistParty.Inacriticalspeechtotheparty’selite,heboldlycalledformoretradewiththeoutsideworldandsaidhefavoredmarket-orientedreforms.Thesepolicieswouldlatercometobecalled“socialismwithChinesecharacteristics.”“ItisoneofthemostsubstantivespeechesI’veeverreadbyaChineseleader,”saysRobertLawrenceKuhn,whojustpublishedabookaboutChina’seconomicreforms.“Pointfivesaidthegovernmentwouldallowsometogetrichfirst.Thiswasradical.”Afterdecadesofisolationandoutrighthostilitytocapitalism,Chinasuddenlybeganlooseningstatecontrolsovertheeconomyandencouragingitscitizenstogetrich.Whatfollowedwasthreedecadesofroaringgrowthandaexport-orientedwealthboomthattheWorldBanksayshaslifted400millionpeopleoutofpoverty.NotlongbeforetheextraordinaryCo...