Top: File photo taken in 1953 shows a skilled technician instructing workers in assembling bicycles at a factory in north China's Tianjin. Bottom: Photo taken on July 9, 2019 by Mu Yu shows a technician working at the assembly line of a bicycle factory in Xingtai of north China's Hebei Province. "Kingdom of bicycles" was one of the many names foreigners used several decades ago to refer to China. Bicycles are deeply rooted in people's daily life. Today China is still full of bicycles, but now bike-sharing is popular involving mobile payment in keeping with the digital times. 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)
