Top: File photo taken in 1975 by You Yungu shows workers of the second steel making plant of Taiyuan Iron and Steel Company, the predecessor of China's Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group (TISCO), working by a blast furnace in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. Bottom: Photo taken on May 24, 2019 by Cao Yang shows a worker of TISCO tearing up a piece of 0.02-mm-thick ultra-thin stainless steel strip in Taiyuan. As a leading stainless steel maker, TISCO boasted research and development of high-tech stainless steel products by large efforts in innovation. 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)
