BEIJING, June 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In Beijing, the essay topic for the English test
of this year's gaokao focuses on the 75th
anniversary of the founding of the
People's Republic of China. Chinese middle school student
Li Hua was asked to offer some
suggestions to his foreign friend Jim, who wants to write a piece
on this subject. To help enlighten Jim as well as those who are
interested in China's development,
the Global Times invited several foreign experts and observers to
share their insights on China's
great achievements in various spheres over the past seven and a
half decades. This is the fourth piece of the series.
Almost 75 years ago, "The Chinese people have stood up!" -
Mao Zedong proclaimed on October 1,
1949, in Beijing, as he
announced the establishment of the
People's Republic of China. Following a horrific civil war,
the violent trauma of Japanese aggression and a century of
humiliation from Western powers, the people of China looked forward to a new beginning. Their
country was impoverished, a peasant nation where the average annual
earnings constituted a mere 49.7 yuan
($6.85), and the average life
expectancy was just 35 years old in 1949.
But fast forward 75 years, China is a very different place. The elderly
of today, those in their 80s, are able to share their experiences
with younger people of the dramatic transformation that their
country has witnessed over the course of their own lifetimes. No
longer is China a backward,
helpless, or impoverished country. It has developed to become an
economic giant and the largest commercial and industrial nation on
earth. From 35 years, China's
average life expectancy has more than doubled to 78 years,
overtaking the US, while the nationwide per capita disposable
income was 39,218 yuan in 2023, even surpassing some countries
in Europe.
This rapid economic development has seen China become a world leader in infrastructure
in a short space of time. Since 2008, the country has assembled the
world's largest high-speed rail network at 43,700 kilometers and
259 airports. China's major
cities, such as Shanghai,
Beijing and Shenzhen have
effectively become world leaders in business, manufacturing,
technology and education. The iconic skyline of Shanghai's Lujiazui, which just 45 years ago
did not even exist, is a testament to China's success in "reaching the sky" and its
rapid pace of change. The city has also become home to some of the
world's most famous attractions, such as Disneyland and Legoland
Park.
The development of China's
communications infrastructure is equally impressive with over 3.748
million 5G base stations. Similarly, it has become a world leader
in renewable energy infrastructure. China has also become the world's largest
exporter of cars and electric vehicles have made breakthroughs in
particular, overtaking traditional market heavyweights in the
sector such as Japan.
Besides, China is no longer a
nation "in need of help" but a nation that frequently "offers help"
on the global stage. From its own development experience,
China has become a critical source
of aid, support and development for the Global South, with its
model standing as a great inspiration. Projects such as the Belt
and Road Initiative have connected nations and provided
opportunities throughout the world, through landmark projects such
as the China-Laos Railway, the China-Europe Railway and the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. China is changing the global economic
landscape for the better. Once a nation in need of development,
China has become an "exporter" of
development. Through its population size and growing consumerism,
China has become the largest and
most lucrative export market in the world for many countries,
offering unparalleled opportunities.
But more importantly, for the Chinese people, China has been able to escape the humiliation
of the past. The PRC is creating a strong, unified and
sovereign Chinese state that breaks from the oppression,
subjugation and colonialism of the old. The country has the
strength to repel foreign aggression, to protect its territorial
integrity and to ensure the horrors of the past will never be
repeated.
From the perspective of three-quarters of a century,
China has entered a new age, one
which its people have long deserved and been longing for. It has
overcome great trauma and difficulty to establish itself as a
modern country, which its population can benefit from and take
pride in.
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SOURCE Global Times
