Top: File photo taken in 2005 shows firefighters spraying water on a rolled-over tank truck carrying tons of hydrochloric acid on an expressway in Lingao County of south China's Hainan Province. Bottom: Photo taken on June 12, 2019 by Yang Guanyu shows firefighters participating in a drill in Haikou of Hainan. With the development of our society, functions of firefighters have changed from simply firefighting to extensive emergency response and rescue. The relevant industries, including wear, equipment and vehicles, etc., have also seen notable growth from import to independent design and production in the past 70 years. 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)
