The year 2018 is coming to an end. Looking back the journey we’ve taken, how would you define this year?
It was an extraordinary year for the Chinese people. 2018 marks 40 years of the reform and opening up, a historic policy that has rewritten the fate of millions of people for generations. This year, the nation saluted courageous reform pioneers and mapped out a blueprint for further opening up for a new era.
The official opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge cheered up many people. It is expected to bring the three coastal cities and their people closer. The 55-kilometer bridge and tunnel complex is the world’s longest cross-sea bridge. It took nine years to complete.
The country now is making its way toward an unprecedented mission. The Chang’e-4 lunar mission has sent the lander and rover into the orbit, paving the way for the follow-up task — landing on and exploring the far side the moon.
There was another eye-opening landing, which global watchers described as “miracle.” A veteran pilot seized control of a commercial plane after it fell into danger in midair and brought everyone aboard safely back to land. The pilot’s name is Liu Chuanjian, one of the Chinese heroes who emerged this year.
Short track speed tracker Wu Dajing and sprinter Su Bingtian are among the memorable names this year in the sports world. They proved themselves as the fastest on the track, with new records.
Many unthinkable events unfolded overseas. All members of a Thai football team were pulled alive from a flooded cave by a multinational rescue team. The mission was believed to be impossible given its complexity.
US President Donald Trump became the first sitting US leader to have talks with Kim Jong-un, the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), months after Kim’s ice-breaking meeting with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May struck a Brexit deal with EU after marathon talks, but she and her country still face uncertainty. The deal may not survive a parliamentary vote planned for early January.
There is still no clear idea when the ongoing deadlock over the US federal budget will end. Barring something unexpected, the impasse will extend into next year.
Natural disasters set records around the world in 2018. Scientists believed the elevated temperature on land and sea magnified the scope and severity of the devastation.
Over 2,200 people in Indonesia were killed and thousands of others are missing after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami. The raging fire burned down thousands of structures in California, the worst and most destructive wildfires in a century for the US. Fierce typhoons swept through the Philippines, South China and Japan, leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, ruined homes and grief for the dead. The list of the dead is long.
We bid farewell to some of the world's greatest minds including physicist Stephen Hawking, novelist Louis Cha (better known by his pen name Jin Yong) and legendary comic book writer Stan Lee. They once illuminated our road to search for the invisible parts in space, the chivalrous spirit and our own humanity through the mirror of fictional heroes' struggles. Their legacy will continue to shine a light for those who feel confused and lost in everyday life.
(Produced by Liang Peiyu, Chen Lidan, Baohan and Yao Xia)