Why is there simplified and traditional chinese?

Chinese is originally traditional. During the Reform and Opening Up, the government eargerly promoted edu and desperately wanted to increase the literacy rate of the country. However, as many ppl. do not know how to read and write, traditional chinese seems so difficult for them to learn. Therefore, the government modified it into simplified chinese and the government hope that by making chinese easier to read and write for them, the literacy rate of the country can increase faster.

*places like Hong Kong and Taiwan still uses traditional chinese.