Left: File photo taken in 1989 by Chen Jiyi shows miner Fu Changwang, well-known as "Iron Man in the Mine" because of his endeavor against all odds to win, working at the Baijiazhuang Coal Mine in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. Right: Photo taken on June 28, 2019 by Cao Yang shows staff member Liu Fan inquiring about the safety of full-mechanized mining face at the control center of the Duerping Coal Mine in Taiyuan. In the past, huge-crowd strategy was widely used in coal mines due to the backward production condition. To date, Shanxi, a coal-rich province, has been stepping up the use of robots in most of its coal mines to improve mining efficiency and safety. Technicians are also able to keep an eye on what's happening underground through monitor screens and cameras at control rooms to find and solve problems in no time. 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)
