Nation rises after 65 years of development

One need look no further than China's railways to see the enormous development of the country since its foundation on Oct 1, 1949.

At the 65th anniversary of that formative moment, every Chinese citizen has access to a modern train service. In 1949, the nation's railways extended only 22,000 km, with half the track in poor condition.

In comparison, the mileage had expanded to 100,000 km by 2013. More than 10,000 km was high-speed infrastructure, and another 12,000 km was under construction at that time.

This modernization is transforming the lives of Chinese people. For Tsering Dekyi, for example, his wish to send his children from their remote home to far-off schools for a better education is no longer a wild dream.

"I heard that the trains are very fast and safe. It takes only two hours from here to Lhasa. I really hope that my three kids will be able to attend schools in Lhasa or inland cities by train in the future," Tsering Dekyi said from Xigaze City, some 200 km west of Lhasa in southwest China's Tibet.

This is possible after an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was put into operation in August, linking Xigaze and Lhasa like never before.

Via the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, launched in 2006 as the world's highest plateau rail track, Xigaze locals can even travel further off to major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Train track mileage is not the only data that makes clear the positive changes in China since 1949. In 2010, China overtook Japan to become the world's second-largest economy. China is the world's top goods trader. The nation also ranks third in global investment...

Meanwhile, the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will come to Beijing in November, with leaders gathering in the Chinese capital to discuss important economic issues for the Asia-Pacific region. China will take center stage once more.

Behind the huge economic achievements made especially since the reform and opening-up policy was introduced in 1978, the nation has made huge, unprecedented strides in providing basic education and welfare for its population of 1.3 billion, the world's largest.

Sixty-five years ago, a shocking 80 percent of the population were illiterate, but by 2008, free nine-year compulsory education programs were fully implemented across the country. This year, 7.27 million university students will graduate, marking a historical high.

Nutritious meals are being provided to students from poor families with billions of yuan budgeted each year by the government.

About 32.29 million rural students have benefited from the 46.23 billion yuan ($7.52 billion) in subsidies the central government has allocated since 2011, when it launched the nutrition improvement program. Also, more than 10 million university students have completed their studies after being granted student loans under programs adopted since 1999.

The 660 million people that China has lifted out of poverty since 1981account for more than 70 percent of the world's total.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has worked hard to provide basic healthcare for its people, with over 95 percent of the population covered by different sorts of healthcare programs by 2011.

However, there remain problems among the achievements, and they must be dealt with increasingly urgently. The issues include restraints on future development from the environment and resources, wide gaps between the wealthy and the poor, industrial overcapacity and imbalanced regional development.

Meanwhile, the Chinese economy must also brave challenges imposed from an economic slowdown after a boom over the past decade, as employment and structural control are key agendas for the government.

In order to cope, the Chinese leadership has showed political courage in pushing comprehensive reforms, including fighting corruption. Overhauls of administrative management, fiscal and financial systems are steadily being carried out as well.

There is no doubting the truth of Chinese President Xi Jinping's assertion that today's China is nearer to its great goal of rejuvenation than at any period in history.