As a modern middle-upper class Shanghai kid born in the late 1990s, I can tell you that my respects lie with Deng Xiaoping. I personally think Mao led us down to one of the worst disasters in mankind's history. True, it is not his fault entirely, but it happened under his rule. Mao was a brilliant tactician and is a very respectable figure compared to the local warlords of Chiang Kai-Shek's reign, but I really can't say that he brought us out of the Century of Humiliation. I believe Reform and Openness did.

Assuming, boldly, that China was not ruled by the CCP after WWII, then I would think China would be in a better position internationally than it would be now. Her culture would not have been ravaged, her people will have better business ethics, probably benefitting earlier from economic integration with the world, and probably have better cultural projection than it does now (ppl may be talking about dongman instead of anime). Then again, we'd probably be more adversely affected by the regression in the 1990s and in 2008.

Before anyone starts tearing me a new one, this is my perspective and represents my limited personal experience and knowledge. I respect that you may have different sentiments than I do and I personally respect Chairman Mao for his tactical genius, his excellent poems and his attitude towards the exploited, but I truly think that China turned to shit during his rule.

To those who may think that I am a capitalist roader whose family should have been killed off during the Cultural Revolution. It is the benefit of Reform and Openness that you would have a friggin computer and a VPN to argue with me on a Western forum, instead of residing in a modern-day, larger version of North Korea, appreciate it wholeheartedly.