Top: File photo taken in 1984 by Shi Changjiang shows hotel operator Liu Yulin preparing bedding in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Bottom: Photo taken on June 30, 2019 by Huang Zongzhi shows home stay manager Li Hua watering the plant in Dayan Town of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province. Li comes from Changzhou of east China's Jiangsu Province. Since 2017, Li and her friends have run the guesthouse in a remote village in Ningbo. In recent years, the home stay industry has been developing vigorously, which plays an important role in the development of rural tourism and the revitalization of rural areas. 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)
