After Hu Yaobang became Minister of the Organization Department, he proposed seeking truth from facts to correct untrue statements and incorrect conclusions.
On February 7, 1977, People's Daily published an editorial titled "Study the Documents Well and Grasp the Key Link," which stated, "We resolutely uphold all policy decisions made by Chairman Mao; we unswervingly follow all instructions given by Chairman Mao." This later became known as the "Two Whatevers," and Hua Guofeng was accused of adhering to this principle.
After Mao Zedong's death, in 1977, with the support of Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang, China restored the gaokao (college entrance exam), allowing many children of families persecuted during the Cultural Revolution to change their fate through the exam. Subsequently, in the 1980s, overseas scholarships and government-sponsored study abroad programs emerged, and large numbers of Chinese students went to the United States for further studies.