This is also the beginning of the massive industrialization of the PRC. What he didn't understand and his successors didn't account for, was the effect that had on population.
When you live on the farm, children are a source of free labor so you have all you can plus one. That's how you know you had too many.
When you live in the city, children are very expensive and noisy furniture so you have fewer of them. The combination of the two led to the rapid decline.
The incentive of local leaders to fudge the numbers for their own benefit led to the yellow bars. This means that the CCP kept the One Child Policy in place about 20 years longer than they should have. Urbanization ensured that they will not recover from this anytime soon.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)