People,Turning Points and Great Progress of a Country

by Chen Xiaoming

In 1978， China made a great decision in launching the reform and opening-up policy， ushering in the most important and far-reaching social change for the country in modern times.

Published to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Chinas reform and opening up， this book series comprises four volumes， each covering a decade， with 400 timeless photographs alongside interpretive text. From the perspective of characters and scenes， it traces the development process across four decades in China.

Chen Xiaoming， chief editor of the work， wrote in the preface that the book series was compiled based on the recognition that the reform and opening up really actualized the political concept of “the people being the masters of the country.”

By focusing on key moments， developments and scenes from ordinary peoples lives， the book series attempts to document the images of an era and express how the reform and opening up reached the peoples hearts.

“Chinas reform and opening up over the past 40 years seems to have been a process in which history was injected with new dynamism and constantly revitalized and developed，” noted Chen Xiaoming.“Every Chinese person， as an individual， has joined in the process of creating history and shared the vitality of the times. This book series aims to provide a few pieces and sides of the big picture through stories of those individuals and shine the great light of the reform and opening up through a variety of prisms.”

By consulting millions of words of news reports， political commentary and chronicles of events and digging through tens of thousands of documentary photographs and news pictures， compilers finally settled on typical works from nearly 300 well-known contemporary Chinese photographers including Li Xiaobin and He Yanguang as well as works from some famous foreign photographers and media institutions such as Yann Layma， Corbis and Getty.

“Browsing the various pictures collected in the book series creates visual rhythm and beat for Chinas reform and opening up composed of the faces， smiles and colorful life stories of ordinary people，”said Wang Xuedian， a renowned Chinese historian， member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference（CPPCC） and executive dean of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies at Shandong University.