When Victor Gao was growing up in rural China in 1970s, cars and trucks were so rare he would chase them with the other children through the dirt roads, overjoyed by the strange sight。
Today, China is the world‘s largest automobile manufacturer, with more than double the capacity of the United States。
而如今,中国成为世界上最大的汽车制造商,产能是美国的两倍多。
“I never expected that an ordinary Chinese family would own an automobile。 I never expected China would be a major automobile manufacturing country,” Gao told CNN。
Men and women are, on average, taller and heavier than they were 40 years ago, because of improved nutrition。
由于营养得到改善,中国男性女性的平均身高和体重都比40年前有所增加。
Consumption of meat in China has skyrocketed, from a once-a-year treat to a daily staple for most city dwellers。
中国的肉类消费大幅增长,以前肉类一年吃一次,如今成为大多数城市居民的日常主食。
▲China’s economic reform: 40 years of change (via FT)
主页君就听父母辈提起过,他们小时候家庭拮据,大鱼大肉只有过年时才能来一顿打打牙祭。
现在呢?“粗粮”“绿色”“沙拉”……在鱼肉不缺的现在,吃点清淡的倒成为了一种时髦。
(图via网络)
说完日常的衣食住行,咱们再来看看改革开放的另一大变化——教育。
(图via网络)
这篇文章来自英媒BBC:
▲中国的77届高考生:我参加了一场改变国家的考试 (via BBC)
这看着就更感慨了……
One warm autumn day in 1977, I had just returned from a month in the countryside with the pupils, when my mother told me, in a very excited tone, that the government had decided to restore the college entrance exams from that winter, and I might be able to take part。
I couldn‘t believe my ears。 “Is it real or is it a bad joke? Do I finally have a chance to study at university?”
我简直不敢相信我的耳朵。“这是真的吗?我终于有机会读大学了吗?”
I applied to read English at Peking University on my father‘s advice。
在父亲的建议下,我申请去北京大学读英语。
What followed were many long evenings revising for exams while preparing for the classes the next day。 But I was in high spirits and didn‘t feel tired at all。 My mother sat up late into the night with me, knitting in the background and testing my knowledge of history from time to time。
We are known as the Class of ‘77 - even though we started our degrees in 1978。 If you mention this term to people above a certain age, they will immediately associate you with life experience, hard work, a strong sense of responsibility and good luck。
I am very proud to be a member of the Class of ‘77 and bear witness to a historic event in recent Chinese history。
我很自豪,能成为77届的一员,见证了中国近代史上的一大历史性事件。
The exams in that year marked the beginning of China‘s opening up and reform and the Class of ’77 went on to become the backbone of China‘s transformation for the next four decades。
那一年的考试标志着中国改革开放的开始。而77届高考生,也成为了中国未来40年转型的中流砥柱。
They were professors, scientists, lawyers, doctors, writers and leaders in their fields。
他们成为各自领域的教授、科学家、律师、医生、作家和领导者。
▲China‘s Class of 1977: I took an exam that changed China (via BBC)
Over the past 40 years, China’s economic progress has been extraordinary。 China has been the second largest economy for years, only after the United States。 Today, China’s foreign exchange reserves, manufacturing capacity and international trade volumes are all the number one in the world。
So far, Trump’s trade war has indeed caused many troubles for China。 However, positively seeing, the trade war has also forced China to open further and reform deeper。
Therefore, in the long run, the short-term pain from the ongoing trade war will likely be proven beneficial for China to deepen its reform and opening-up so as to achieve its ultimate “Chinese Dream”。