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2004
Coalmine Disasters
Chen Jigen, a miner who has worked for 20 some years and survived more than one mine disaster, said: "Quit mining? I can't." He needed the wage of several thousand RMB a month, for he had a big family to support, and one of his children was still at college. Miners in China live at the bottom of society. Every disaster, as a scholar put it, is a test of the conscience of the Chinese people. Driven by huge profits, illegal mining is rampant in many provinces and miners are often seen working without even a minimum of protection. Mine disasters resulting from illegal mining are frequent. Just in 2004, over 6,000 lives were lost in China, accounting for 80 percent of mining-related deaths worldwide. In an attempt to stop this situation, the Chinese government applied an iron hand, under the slogan "No more bloody GDP."
Overseas M & A
The 20-year-old Lenovo Group Limited, after completing its merger with IBM's global personal computer business in 2004 at a price of US $1.25 billion, became the third largest PC manufacturer in the world. "This marks the beginning of a new era for the PC industry," remarked Lenovo chairman Yang Yuanqing. "And our objective is not just to be the third." In 2008, Lenovo appeared in Fortune magazine's list of the world's top 500 businesses for the first time. The company ranked 499th, with a gross revenue of US $16.788 billion. While China draws the largest amount of foreign investment in the world, after entry into the WTO the country's overseas investment increased and more mergers and acquisitions were seen, growing from US $1.8 billion in 2000 to US $4.8 billion in 2004.
2005
Unorthodox Idols
The names of two particular girls were most often on the lips of ordinary people in 2005: Li Yuchun, "the idol of common people," and "Sister Lotus," an "anti-idol idol."
Looking somewhat neutral in gender, with far from impressive singing skills, the 21-year-old Li Yuchun, who "cared about nothing but music," won 3.52 million votes in the final of "Super Female Voices," the hottest entertainment TV program of 2005. However, Li Yuchun's success was not undeserved, for her unorthodox appearance was quite refreshing to the public and her singing style, though not mature, was able to pluck people's heartstring with a hometown feeling. No wonder she was called "a star of the masses."
In comparison, "Sister Lotus" was violently more unorthodox, for she was a young female frequently seen on the campuses of two Beijing universities. Her "narcissistic," as some people described, articles and photos on the universities' BBS showed off her well-rounded figure and, as she called it, her "ravishing beauty," inspiring a flood of ridicule from Internet users. However, her name became widely known as she became an "idol of another sort." Later, several other young women followed suit and gained some fame, but none of them matched her in popularity. Both Li Yuchun and "Sister Lotus" are now working hard in the entertainment business.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway
With the completion of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in 2005, the highest train line in the world and the longest ever built on frozen earth finally connected Tibet to the rest of China, marking the nation's success in tackling three tough challenges in railway construction: inadequate oxygen at high altitude, the laying of tracks on frozen earth, and protecting a fragile ecosystem while building a railway.
2006
New Countryside
Chinese farmers have made a huge contribution, estimated at RMB 30 trillion, to China's urbanization and industrialization, yet they are not rewarded as much as they should be by the fruits of reform and opening-up. To remedy this situation, beginning in 2002, the central government put the "three rural issues" – namely agriculture, farmers and rural areas – on top of its task list. In 2006, the central government set the construction of a new countryside as a major government policy. In the same year, farmers were exempt from agricultural tax, and all the cost for developing social welfare in rural areas went to the government.
2007
Saving Energy and Lowering Emissions
Following the contamination of Wuxi's drinking water in Taihu Lake by blue green alga in May, more water crises occurred in China's south. In some ways, China was paying too dear a price for its fast economic progress, with a deteriorating environment and over consumption of resources. By some analyses, this state of affairs won't be able to sustain China's high-speed development for another 10 years. Before long, some foreign media claimed, China will replace the U.S. as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. In 2007, the Chinese government published "The State Plan for Coping with Climate Change," in which it promised to reduce the total amount of energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent from that of 2005 by 2010, and increase the use of renewable energy by 10 percent by 2010 and 16 percent by 2020.
The Household That Refused to Be Moved
Unsatisfied with the compensation offered by a real estate developer, a property owner in Chongqing refused to be moved. He held on for three years in a confrontation with the developer before a court of law stepped in and ruled in favor of the latter. To Zheng Yefu, an established sociologist, this event was the most significant in 2007, as it showed how ordinary people were beginning to safeguard their legal rights. The next ten years, he predicted, would see more dramatic events like this in China.
2008
Freedom of the Press
After the disastrous earthquake that hit Wenchuan on May 12 and left a death toll of over 80,000, many journalists rushed to the scene without applying for the permits required by the Chinese government. However, having no permit proved no problem at all, recalled He Runfeng, a reporter from the Phoenix TV, Hong Kong, for all local government departments, PLA and armed police units threw their door wide open to reporters, who were allowed to go anywhere and interview anyone they wanted for firsthand news.
During the Beijing Olympic Games, up to 30,000 foreign journalists came to China. The Chinese government honored its promise for "zero refusal" to interview requests. Foreign journalists were free to go any place they wanted, an act applauded by Reuters as "an honored promise for the freedom of press in China." "The Chinese government was making an obvious effort to improve freedom of the press and human rights," said Steve, a foreign journalist. "Opening to foreign media without restrictions exhibited an ideal interaction between China and international community."
The Chinese government would help foreign reporters in their work during the Beijing Olympic Games, said a Chinese government spokesman. Foreign journalists did not need to have a Chinese host to accompany them, nor apply for permits in advance if they went to a place open to foreign journalists. China, as a Chinese government official put it, was throwing its arms wide open to welcome foreign journalists.
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