[ThinkingGuy]

I don't have a source for this, but my understanding is that much of the improvement in China's literacy rate came from the government's redefining of "literate" down to about a 1st or 2nd grade school level.

Still, I can't help but be happy at how so many people's lives have improved so greatly in such a short time.

[platinumrad]

Simplified Chinese made a huge difference. It's one of the few undeniably good things to come from the CCP, although adopting a phonetic alphabet might have been even better.