People of my age, of my generation, have seen many changes in China— more than the younger generation to which most of you belong. We are lucky! After the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, China had to face up to the necessity of developing our economy. It was difficult to accept that we had been left behind by the Western countries, by Japan, Korea, and even by Taiwan. My generation has gone through many changes in China. When I was a young girl, the Chinese government embarked on a plan to improve life for the Chinese people. It wasn't until the late 70's and early 80's that we began to notice a change in our lives. In the mid-80's China began to implement a plan of rapid development. It was around that time that food rationing ended and we could buy anything we wanted to eat. Today, we have enough food, enough clothes, enough of everything that we want to buy. Productivity has improved and merchandise is abundant. Modernization has brought many benefits. We have come into the Information Age and have personal computers and mobile phone which are used by millions of our fellow citizens. This was unimaginable even 20 years ago. Modern life is now efficient, convenient and easy. Of course, we have our problems caused by our rapid development—traffic jams, air, water and noise pollution and cultural changes. But, China has surely come a long way since I was a little girl. Many of you will disagree with me and claim that your life is not good enough and that's fine. My parents' generation and now my generation has brought you farther than you can ever imagine. Now, it's your turn.
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