A Decade in Pictures

Thanks to the people-centered philosophy of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the country’s ruling party, China has witnessed robust development along its journey to national rejuvenation. Over the past decade, the country has maintained firm steps forward and embraced wonderful and profound changes.

Since 2012, China has attached great importance to social progress. Adhering to the people-centered philosophy, the CPC continues working with its head down on specific issues year after year to ensure steady progress on guaranteed access to childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance. It has introduced a series of new concepts, strategies, and requirements to increase public sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security.

Putting the People First: 100 Memorable Moments in China’s New Era Since 2012 features captivating images capturing this sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. It documents the tremendous changes in ordinary Chinese lives as well as the notable progress China made in the decade from 2012 to 2022.

The report to the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017 pledged to ensure that “all our people have a greater sense of fulfillment.” In addition to the enjoyment of higher living standards, a stronger sense of fulfillment brought by the reform and opening up also involves embracing great dreams and pursuits, leading more decent and dignified lives, and enjoying social equality, fairness, justice. Across the decade, fruitful achievements have been made in building China into an innovation-driven country with mass entrepreneurship and innovation as the order of the day. The country has eradicated absolute poverty and made continuous progress in the modernization of community-level governance. Both public health and medical services have improved dramatically, and equal access to education has been guaranteed. All of these tangible achievements reflect the rapid development of the country coupled with a people-first principle in state governance.

Alongside material abundance, factors such as a governance philosophy featuring fairness and justice, social stability, physical health, a sound eco-environment, and a peaceful and stable external environment are also essential components of happiness of the people. Across the decade, new technologies and industries such as artificial intelligence and the digital economy have developed rapidly. Socialist cultural undertakings have prospered unprecedentedly. Notable achievements have been made in building a Healthy China, and remarkable progress has been made in constructing a global community of shared future. And China’s domestic progress is being fully enjoyed by its people. Advancements in the times have brought gradual realization of people’s aspirations for a better life.

The people’s security is the ultimate purpose of the CPC’s holistic approach to national security. Across the decade, China has held firm to a path of prioritizing environmental protection and green, low-carbon development, making significant achievements in building an eco-civilization. The people’s basic political rights have been further protected, and China has prevented and defused various major risks. The country has broken new ground on strengthening and revitalizing the armed forces and enhanced its capacity to defend national sovereignty and the people’s security. On the journey to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, China has achieved and will maintain the happy lives of the people and lasting peace in the country.