Born in 1978, those who were the same age as reform and opening up grew up in the wave of change, and their stories reflected the changes in this great era.

Source: China News Network

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. The torrent of the times has profoundly influenced the life trajectory of Chinese people. Born in 1978, those who were the same age as reform and opening up grew up in the wave of change, and their stories reflected the changes in this great era.

Car Jinhua's first year old photo. Photo provided by the interviewee

Che Jinhua, born in May 1978, Shandong Weihai native

"The college entrance examination is a milestone in my life"

Che Jinhua, born in May 1978, is a generation that grew up together with reform and opening up. When talking about the most memorable thing in the first half of life, Che Jinhua said it was his college entrance examination experience.

1997, 19-year-old Che Jinhua walked into the college entrance examination room. This young man, born in a small village in Weihai, Shandong, was successfully admitted to the Armed Police Technical College (now the Armed Police Engineering University), becoming the only college student among his peers in the village.

The year when Che Jinhua was born, the first batch of college students ushered in their college years after the resumption of the college entrance examination. Over the past 40 years, China's higher education has brought batches of builders to the development of this country, and countless people have achieved the story of "knowledge changes destiny".

According to Che Jinhua's recollection of the college entrance examination in 1997, Che Jinhua described it as "a single-plank bridge that thousands of troops crossed the single-plank bridge." Among the 46 people in his class, only 7 were admitted to the national line. Only by going to the national line can you be eligible to apply for a university.

"In that era, it was the dream of many people to be able to study in technical secondary school." said Che Jinhua. In order to realize his college dream, Che Jinhua studied hard in his senior year: "At that time, there was no cram school, so I borrowed the questions I had done by senior students."

Che Jinhua's personal photo provided by the interviewee

Che Jinhua, who was admitted to university, became the pride of the whole family. To this day, Che Jinhua is still the pride of heaven among the old people in the village, and encourages the younger generation to learn from him.

With expectations, Che Jinhua set off from his hometown. The way to school is a day and a night: take the bus from Weihai to Yantai , then take the train from Yantai, and take the whole night to Xi'an.

Due to the long journey, Che Jinhua can only go home during the winter and summer vacations. On weekdays, he keeps in touch with his family on a weekly letter, and every now and then, he can call his parents at the school's public telephone booth.

After graduating from university, Che Jinhua joined the army and became the deputy company commander. After 2007, he was transferred to Beijing to work as a government department. Looking back at the journey I came, Che Jinhua said: "The college entrance examination is a milestone in my life, giving me the opportunity to go out and realize my life value on a higher platform."

40 years ago, in 1978, the total number of higher education in China was only 867,000. By 2016, the total scale of higher education in the world reached 36.99 million, accounting for 20% of the world's total scale of higher education, ranking first in the world.

For most Chinese children, going to college to receive higher education is no longer a "one-plank bridge for thousands of troops".

Fu Ailin takes a photo on the Great Wall. Photo provided by the interviewee

Fu Ailin was born in 1978.7, people in Chengde, Hebei

"My home moved from the county town to Beijing"

was born in Fu Ailin in July 1978, and his hometown is Xinglong County, Chengde, Hebei. At the age of 18, Fu Ailin made a decision for herself - to leave the countryside and travel to Beijing.

In 1996, 18-year-old Fu Ailin failed to get to university. My father found a job as a clerk in the village and town, and his salary was 180 yuan per month.

Fu Ailin was not satisfied with her father's arrangement: "It costs 180 yuan a month, how can she live?" So she made up her mind to go to a big city to explore. After discussing with her parents, she decided to go to Beijing and took the 5-hour green train to Shunyi and defected to her uncle who opened a factory here.

Like Fu Ailin, there are many people who have walked out of the countryside and entered the city. Since the reform and opening up, urban and rural barriers have gradually been broken and the urbanization process has been accelerated. In 40 years, China's urbanization rate has increased from 17.9% in 1978 to 58.5% in 2017, the permanent urban population has increased from 170 million to 810 million, and the number of cities has increased from 193 to 657.

Fu Ailin was not buried in this wave.Since entering Beijing in 1996, she has been working in a local precision instrument processing factory, and she has been working for more than 20 years.

Fu Ailin, who just arrived in Beijing. Photo provided by the interviewee

Now, Fu Ailin is a wife and mother. The family of three has bought a real estate in Shunyi, and her son is also in junior high school in Beijing. Although she still does not have a Beijing household registration, in Fu Ailin's heart, Beijing is already her hometown.

Here, Fu Ailin witnessed the changes in Beijing. There are many tall buildings in the city, subway lines are crisscrossing, roads are becoming more and more congested, and migrant workers are becoming more and more dense...

Settled here, she only returns to her hometown in Hebei during festivals. But my hometown is no longer the scene in the past: "High-rise buildings, convenient life, high-speed and high-speed rail, and today's developed communications have made the distance between homes closer and closer."

But Fu Ailin's deeds of surfing outside are still told in her hometown as a story. The older generation will always warn young people to settle down in big cities like Fu Ailin, when they grow up, they will build a career.

Duan Hongwei traveled abroad in 2017. Photo provided by the interviewee

Duan Hongwei was born in 1978.12, from Anyang, Henan

"Reform and opening up made me go into business"

1978, Duan Hongwei, born in Anyang, Henan, is now the boss of two companies. But Duan Hongwei hesitated for a whole year when he resigned and started his business.

In 1997, 19-year-old Duan Hongwei graduated from a technical secondary school and caught the last bus assigned to the graduation package. This young man who came out of the rural area of ​​Anyang, Henan Province, came to work in a local state-owned enterprise in line with the envious eyes of his hometown.

The unit is decent and shiny, the salary is enough to support the family, and the pressure is not too great... This errand is regarded by many people as an "iron rice bowl". Duan Hongwei started as a clerk, and in 6 years, he became the office director.

In 2005, 27-year-old Duan Hongwei walked at the intersection of life: Should he continue to stay in the unit or choose a new path to experience it?

This new path Duan Hongwei wants to experience is to start a business in China. The idea was born in 2004 when his son was born. Faced with the increasingly heavy family burden on his shoulders, Duan Hongwei hesitated whether to give up his current stability and muster up the courage to go out and explore?

Finally, after a year of consideration, Duan Hongwei made up his mind to start a business in 2005.

"Going into the sea" is a new word that was born with the reform and opening up. Since 1978, China's market economy has gradually flourished, the space for freedom has continued to expand, the individual economy has received increasing attention, and resigning and starting a business has become the choice of many people.

Duan Hongwei also chose to quit his job under such a tide of the times, and took several partners to start his own company.

Now, thirteen years later, Duan Hongwei started from the transportation industry, and now the industry has extended to the pesticide and children's clothing market.

Recalling his decision in 2005, Duan Hongwei said that he did not regret it. In his opinion, today's achievements not only come from his own struggle, but also from the support of national policies.

"If I hadn't been born in the reform and opening up period, I might not have been able to even get out of the countryside, let alone go," Duan Hongwei said.

Qiao Xiuquan of youth. Photo provided by the interviewee

Qiao Xiuquan Born in 1978.6, from Luliang, Shanxi,

"I grew up with the Internet"

born in June 1978. He is currently the deputy director of the Basic Research Center of the Web Services of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. But if you return for twenty years, Qiao Xiuquan even doesn't know what a computer is.

Born in rural Shanxi, he first saw a computer in 1993. In his words, this was already very advanced at the time. In 1993, Qiao Xiuquan studied high school at the local Fenyang Normal School and majored in computer science.

In the school computer room, he saw the computer for the first time: "It is equipped with a 386 model computer. We can only see it when we go to the computer room every week, and we have to wear shoe covers when we go in."

Three years later, Qiao Xiuquan entered Shaanxi Normal University to study for undergraduate degree in 1996, majoring in mathematics and computer education. It was also this year that he had first come into contact with the Internet.

On April 20, 1994, an international dedicated line with 64K bandwidth was connected in China, which marked the beginning of the Internet era in China.

Qiao Xiuquan's four years of undergraduate studies were also the time for the rapid development of China's Internet. From 1994 to 2000, the Internet began to fly into the homes of the people, and the bbs forum began to appear, and portals such as Sina , Netease also sprung up like mushrooms after a rain...

to Qiao Xiuquan graduated from undergraduate in 2000, and the 16th World Computer Conference was held in Beijing. As of this year, there were about 8.92 million computers in China, and the number of Internet users reached 22.5 million.

In 2001, Qiao Xiuquan entered Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications to study for a postgraduate degree. During this period, he had a private desktop computer assigned by the school. He applied for a QQ number for himself on the computer and used his living expenses for one year to buy his first mobile phone in his life.

Qiao Xiuquan studied for a doctorate at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Photo provided by the interviewee

Three years later, Qiao Xiuquan studied for a doctorate and upgraded the desktop computer to a laptop. When he first took his laptop home, his relatives and friends gathered around, "Everyone got together to watch this new thing, and it felt very novel."

Nowadays, whether it is a mobile phone, a computer or the Internet, it has become a necessity in people's lives in China. Even Qiao Xiuquan's 10-year-old son can already operate computers and tablets very skillfully.

In Qiao Xiuquan's view, these things have become the basis for the operation of social informatization, providing support for people's daily life and efficient work. (Yang Yuqi)