China's environment - and the way people think about it - have been dramatically transformed over the past 30 years.
At every event held by Green Earth Volunteers, Wang Yongchen, 57, founder of the environmental organization, asks her participants to describe how the rivers have changed in their hometowns. The younger participants, often in their 20s or 30s, always come up with answers that the rivers are no longer the way they were. Most of them are either dark, smelly, or in some cases completely dried up. "That's why I care so much about the rivers in China. I'm always worried about where we will get water from if such trends continue," says Wang, a journalist-turned-environmentalist.
1979: China publishes its first environmental protection law.
Looking back at 30 years of sports in China, it is easy to see how the times have changed. From a generation of sportspersons who were solely dependent on State support and had to toil hard to make an impact on the global stage, China has a new generation of confident young sport professionals who have not only made a name for themselves but are proving to be excellent brand ambassadors for the country.
Byline | Kang Bing
Expert's take | Wei Jizhong
China's foreign relations have been increasingly expanding since the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy. Its achievements over the past three decades come as precious and thought-provoking lessons for the present and the future, with three major aspects to bear in mind.
China's foreign affairs in the first half of 2011 were characterized by several multilateral summits in which the country has played a prominent role. Among them are the recently concluded trilateral leadership summit involving China, Japan and the Republic of Korea in May, and the third summit of the BRICS bloc and annual Boao Forum of Asia held in Hainan province in April.
China Daily in its early days gave world events much wider coverage than many other Chinese newspapers, as its target readers were mainly foreigners in this country where few foreign publications were available.
1971: The People's Republic of China reclaims its lawful seat in the United Nations.
During the last 30 years, the health service system in China has made several significant strides and improved the overall health condition of urban and rural Chinese citizens. Though much of the focus in those days was on public health and preventive treatment, it also had some shortcomings. An inherent flaw of the post-1980s period was that healthcare became more of a fee-for-service available mainly to those who could afford it. There was also a constant churn of medical personnel from the rural to the urban areas, contrary to what was envisaged by policymakers.
China already has a robust healthcare system, so the World Health Organization (WHO) is targeting its work to build technical capacity and share international best practices in specific areas where there may be gaps.