Top: File photo taken in 1954 shows a teacher giving a class at the first primary school in Ximeng Va Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Bottom: Photo taken on Dec. 7, 2018 by Yang Zongyou shows teacher Yan Ke giving a music class at a kindergarten at Banmu Village of Mengsuo Town in Ximeng. Since the founding of Ximeng's first primary school, education in the county has undergone great changes, with schoolhouses more modern, teaching facilities more advanced and course contents more diversified. The development of education brings more and more benefits for local people of Va ethnic group. In 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Chinese people faced a devastated country that needed to be rebuilt from scratch after decades of warfare and chaos. After decades of unremitting endeavors and dedication by the Chinese people, China has grown to be the world's second largest economy. In 1952, China's GDP was 30 billion U.S. dollars, while in 2018, its GDP reached 13.61 trillion U.S. dollars, an increase of 452.6 times. A group of combo photos give you a glimpse of what Chinese people did decades ago and what they do right now. Undoubtedly, people from all walks of life in China with hard work and wisdom have made contributions to the country's development. (Xinhua)
