When Liu Zhen arrived in Beijing at 5 am on October 1st, the
National Day of China, he lost no time to take a taxi to the
Tian'anmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony.
When he arrived, some 120,000 people had already been waiting
there in slight rain.
Liu, a farmer from the Yimeng Mountain in the eastern province
of Shandong, owns a small wood processing plant and earns some
100,000 yuan (about US$13,000) a year.
While watching the national-flag rising into the sky, tears
streamed from his eyes. "I just can't help myself; I am overwhelmed
with joy," he said.
Without the rapid development of the country, the life of the
ordinary people could not improved so much and so quickly, Liu
added.
Like Liu, many Chinese have benefited from China's development
which has kept at high speed for a dozen years.
The latest profits for many urban residents come from the rising
stock market.
Mrs. Zhang, who retired from a middle school 18 years ago, is
keen on changes of the stock market which set a new high on the
last day's trading before the 7-day holiday began on October 1.
The 75-year-old tired teacher has seen her primary investment of
20,000 yuan quadrupled only a few years since she entered the stock
market.
China has set its goal to build up a harmonious society, and a
major job in the process is to improve the people's livelihood.
One of the major reforms to this end is to increase the salary
of public servants, raise the pension for company retirees, lift
the subsidies for low-income urban residents and other groups
receiving special government subsidies.
Meanwhile, China also tries to help more low-income rural
residents with a minimum living standard scheme, which, according
to Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo, has covered more than
25 million people in rural areas.
A National Statistics Bureau survey over 68,000 rural households
showed that farmers' average income in the first half this year
reached 2,111 yuan, up 13.3 percent from a year earlier.
Chinese with a swelling purse have spent more on traveling, some
for business, some for holiday.
Jin Zhe is an insurance broker who goes onboard three to four
times every month. "It is more convenient to book an air ticket
now," he said, "I use the electronic ticket. My ID card is my
ticket!"
"The country is changing real fast," said Lei Peng, who is
engaged in international communication. "Not only those who visited
China a decade ago were astonished at the big changes in China, a
lot of foreigners who come to China once every one or two years
also are surprised to China's fast development."
Almost two years ago, Lei sent a Chinese living in New Zealand a
set of Fuwa, the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The
man was grateful for receiving these "good-luck dolls" and said,
"maybe I would be the first one in New Zealand to have a set of
Fuwa from my motherland!"
Lei said he could felt his friend was only too anxious to see
their motherland become prosperous. "The Chinese in foreign
countries, I think, are keen on the development of China because a
prosperous China would bring them greater respect," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)