In late 1978， the Third Plenary Sessionof the 11th Communist Party of China（CPC） Central Committee markeda turning point at which Chinaembarked on a new journey of reform andopening up.

A key policy changing the fate ofcontemporary China， the reform andopening up greatly motivated theenthusiasm and vitality of the Chinesepeople. It enabled China to shift from ahighly centralized planned economic systemto a vigorous socialist market economicsystem. Since then， China has walked aunique road to modernization.

Third PlenarySession of the11th CPC CentralCommittee

The 11th CPC Central Committee convened itsthird plenary session in Beijing from December 18to 22， 1978. The session adopted a historic decisionto shift the focus of the Party’s work towardseconomic development and launch China’s reformand opening up. This session marked a significantturning point in the history of China， launching agreat journey of reform and opening up as well associalist modernization.

HouseholdContractResponsibilitySystem

After the Third Plenary Session ofthe 11th CPC Central Committee， Chinaintroduced the household contractresponsibility system， commonly knownas “the all-round contract，” in ruralareas， which greatly motivated farmers’enthusiasm for agricultural production andliberated and promoted rural productivity.

China’s FirstResearchStation inAntarctica

In October 1984， China recruited itsfirst Antarctic scientific expedition team.On November 20 of the same year， the591-member team departed Shanghai forAntarctica. Within 27 days， they completedconstruction of the country’s first researchstation in Antarctica—the Great WallStation—turning over a new leaf in China’sAntarctic scientific expeditions.

Stock Exchange

On December 19， 1990， the ShanghaiStock Exchange opened， marking a newchapter in the development of China’scapital market. Then， on July 3， 1991， theShenzhen Stock Exchange， which hadbeen undergoing trial operation sinceDecember 1， 1990， officially opened.The opening of the two stock exchangesachieved centralized stock trading andsignificantly boosted the developmentof shareholding companies in China.Since then， China’s capital market hascontinually grown and integrated intothe global market.

Project Hope

On October 30， 1989， the Central Committeeof the Communist Youth League of China andthe China Youth Development Foundationlaunched Project Hope， a program aiming tofinance education for poverty-stricken students.Since its launch， Project Hope has explored andpracticed many groundbreaking charity conceptsand models， exerting extensive and far-reachinginfluence on the cultivation and spread ofphilanthropic culture in China.

South-to-North WaterDiversionProject

The South-to-North WaterDiversion Project aims to relievesevere water shortages in northernChina. It consists of east， middle，and west routes. Completed onDecember 12， 2014， the middleroute of the project had transferredmore than 60 billion cubic metersof water by the end of 2023，directly benefiting 108 millionpeople in Beijing， Tianjin， HebeiProvince， and Henan Province. Theproject is playing a significant rolein guaranteeing and improvingpeople’s livelihood.

China’s Accession to the WTO

On November 10， 2001， the legal documents for China’s accession to the WTO were approved at the FourthMinisterial Conference of the World Trade Organization （WTO） held in Doha， Qatar， marking China’s entry intothe WTO and the start of a new phase of its opening up. China formally joined the WTO as its 143rd memberon December 11 of the same year. China’s accession to the WTO is not only conducive to the country’seconomic development， but has also played a vital role in promoting global economic growth. China hascontributed greatly to world economic stability and prosperity while maintaining its own growth.

China’s First MannedSpaceflight

In October 2003， Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei orbitedEarth 14 times aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. The 21-hour journey marked China’s first manned spaceflight.A milestone in the country’s space exploration history，the mission made China the third country in the world toindependently master manned spaceflight technology.

Beijing 2008Summer Olympics

From August 8 to 24， 2008， the 29th Summer OlympicGames were held in Beijing and went down as a milestoneevent that changed China and influenced the world in thefirst decade of the 21st century. The success of the 2008Beijing Olympic Games showcased China’s ability to organizea world-class sporting event on an unprecedented scale，leaving an enduring legacy in Olympic history.

Qinghai-Xizang Railway

On July 1， 2006， the Qinghai-Xizang Railway， known as theworld’s highest， longest， and fastest plateau railroad， fullyopened， ending Xizang’s railless history. It stretches 1，956kilometers from Xining， the capital of Qinghai Province， toLhasa， the capital of the Xizang Autonomous Region. Therailway has been crucial for boosting economic and socialdevelopment， improving people’s livelihood， and enhancingethnic unity in Qinghai and Xizang.