Poor China doesn't know what he's really in for...
China observed that Chairman Mao had returned from his visit to Moscow in high spirits. He soon learned the reason for the changed mood when Mao brought up his new economic plan at a meeting with fellow party members.
Though the name 'Great Leap Forward' had a nice sound to it, China remained skeptical about the potential effectiveness of such a campaign. That was, until Mao mentioned the possibility of surpassing Great Britain within fifteen years.
It was this bit of news that served to blind China to everything else and ensure his dedication to the plan. For too long he had been forced to suffer at the hands of the Western powers, the United Kingdom in particular, and the memory of the Opium Wars and the loss of Hong Kong still made him feel bitter inside.
He would have given anything to become more powerful than Britain, France or America, just so that he could return the pain they had caused him. But more than that, he wanted to be respected, instead of being treated as inferior as he had experienced throughout the past century.
"Exceeding Great Britain, you say? Well, he shall regret the day he ever took me for an impressionable fool."