A famous article published on May 8, 1978 titled, ``Practice is the Sole Criterion for Verifying Truth,'' triggered a debate which ultimately brought down the unchallenged ideology of the decades under communist founder Mao Zedong.

Masterminded by Deng, who died last year, the article urged the country to focus on economic results rather than lofty socialist principles.

``We call for a second discussion of the same topic in the country in order that people's ideology may be emancipated a second time,'' said the dissidents in a signed petition to President Jiang Zemin.

The petition - a copy of which was faxed to AFP by the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Movement in China - cited rampant corruption, polarisation of people's incomes, financial chaos and masslay-offs in the state sector as proof ``that China's political situation has reached its doom.''

``Corruption and bribery, squandering, embezzlement and trade of money for power are expanding,'' said the signatories, who included Mao Guoliang, Wang Youcai and Wang Donghai.

``Big and small Wang Baosens and Chen Xitongs are still beyond the reach of the Law,'' they said, referring to Beijing municipal leaders implicated in the country's worst corruption scandal to date.

Wang Baosen, a vice-mayor, committed suicide as the scandal emerged in 1995, and Chen is still awaiting trial in connection to the 2.2 billion dollar case.

China's leadership and official media hailed the anniversary on Friday.The highlight of the day's activities was a eulogy delivered by Vice-President Hu Jintao at a specially convened forum.

``It is proper to say that the debate was an ideological forerunner for the great transition, with deep and far-reaching significance in our party's history,'' said Hu, who is also a member ofthe all-powerful Communist Party politburo standing committee.

Many of the petition's signatories had also signed an open letter last month calling on the party to review its assessment of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations.

The movement, brutally crushed by the Army on June 4 of that year, is officially considered a ``counter-revolutionary rebellion.''

Earlier this year, the Chinese Communist Party had announced the new triumvirate in the party hierarchy with great fanfare with an eye on keeping its future prospects intact and full of promise.