As former US President Bill Clinton said, China today plays an important role in world affairs in no small part because of Deng Xiaoping's decision to open this country to the outside world.

Deng's reform program started in 1978. China and its people have since witnessed a remarkable change, which the following six stories about ordinary people's lives tell how the late top reformer has reshaped this country.

Thirty-five years later, a new round of deepening reforms is underway under China's new leadership led by Xi Jinping, which aims to make people more economically and politically benefit from the world's 2nd largest economy.

The legacy of Deng's theory still works today. Hopeful reviewing his policy ranging from an open-mind attitude toward the market economy to a zero tolerance policy on corruption would give the current Chinese leadership a wise methodology to deepen the ongoing reforms.