Top: Copy photo taken in the 1960s and provided by Pearl Royal in Beihai shows farmers working in a pearl cultivation area in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Bottom: Photo taken on June 15, 2019 by Zhang Ailin shows a staff member working in a seawater pearl cultivation area of a company in Beihai. Beihai is crowned as "pearl city". Pearl cultivation here has been transferred indoors with more favorable conditions in weather and water temperature to improve pearl quality. 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)
