Supporting our country is supporting ourselves

By Hu Xijin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/10/1 13:36:14 Last Updated: 2020/10/1 19:19:30

Photo:VCG


Today marks the 71st birthday of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is also the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. I wish all the Chinese spend a happy holiday, no matter whether they have returned to their hometowns, traveled somewhere, or just stay at home to spend some leisure time. I'd also like to send my best regards to people who still have to work and hope they can get paid three times of their normal pay for the work during the holidays. Just sue the companies which do not make such offers. 

We must pay tribute to our country. I was born in 1960. People of my generation experienced a miserable childhood. When we became youth, we encountered the country's reform and opening-up. When we grew older, we experienced an era of China's rise. The PRC started from a very low point, but now she is standing in a high position which my older generation and I could have not imagined. The vast changes are the PRC's most notable achievements and the country's biggest contribution to its people.

Of course, the country still has shortcomings, and sometimes we feel strong about it. This is mainly because the object of reference for Chinese society has utterly changed. When I was young, Singapore and China's Hong Kong and Taiwan were like paradise in our eyes, and we dare not compare China with Western countries. But now, the most developed countries and their relatively superior material and spiritual assets have become our reference. Our dissatisfaction comes when we found we did not do as well as those developed countries have. We do not want to make developing countries as our reference any more, although at the initial stage of China's reform and opening-up, China's social and economic development was at the same level as India was and lagged behind that of Brazil and Thailand.

Generally, I believe this shows the positivity and advancement of Chinese society. People have confidence and expectation for China's ability to maintain development momentum and solve all kinds of problems. Meanwhile, people believe if they express complaints and demands, it will surely have certain impacts.

When the novel coronavirus infections broke out, we did express our dissatisfaction and criticism at the beginning. Touting achievement was not that welcome in the public opinion sphere. But gradually, China became one of the few countries in the world that effectively put the epidemic under control. In the internet era, there are a lot of criticism and complaints. The country has made actual progress with remarkable achievements. Chinese society keeps advancing in the dramatic relations between opinion and reality.

I wish the People's Republic of China a happy birthday. As a media person who always surfs political news, I have confidence in my country. My interviewing journey supports my confidence. Supporting the country is supporting ourselves.

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn



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