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，中國成為世界上最大的汽車製造商，產能是美國的兩倍多。
“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。
由於營養得到改善，中國男性女性的平均身高和體重都比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。
中國的肉類消費大幅增長，以前肉類一年吃一次，如今成為大多數城市居民的日常主食。
▲China’s economic reform： 40 years of change （via FT）
主頁君就聽父母輩提起過，他們小時候家庭拮据，大魚大肉只有過年時才能來一頓打打牙祭。
現在呢？“粗糧”“綠色”“沙拉”……在魚肉不缺的現在，吃點清淡的倒成為了一種時髦。
（圖via網絡）
說完日常的衣食住行，咱們再來看看改革開放的另一大變化——教育。
（圖via網絡）
這篇文章來自英媒BBC：
▲中國的77屆高考生：我參加了一場改變國家的考試 （via BBC）
這看着就更感慨了……
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？”
我簡直不敢相信我的耳朵。“這是真的嗎？我終於有機會讀大學了嗎？”
I applied to read English at Peking University on my father‘s advice。
在父親的建議下，我申請去北京大學讀英語。
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，能成為77屆的一員，見證了中國近代史上的一大歷史性事件。
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。
那一年的考試標誌着中國改革開放的開始。而77屆高考生，也成為了中國未來40年轉型的中流砥柱。
They were professors， scientists， lawyers， doctors， writers and leaders in their fields。
他們成為各自領域的教授、科學家、律師、醫生、作家和領導者。
▲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”。
