If 刘少奇单独搭班子 from 1949, China would at best like today's Taiwan at a large scale. 真正他自己干的时间,历史只给了他三年多, yes. But that 三年多 Liu (and Zhou and Li Fuchuan) did what he could do within the boundary set by Mao.
If Liu did what he did in 1958, 1959 like what he did during that 三年多. sigh who knows what.....