Destiny 1978

 Destiny 1978

               In 1978, one of Deng Xiaoping’s meetings in Beijing had affected tens of thousands of families, and my family was one of them. Before 1978, China was in a state of economic isolation,  and the economic progress was slow between 1949 to 1978.  Reform and opening up had made the market in mainland China grow rapidly, and it changed my family’ Lives. My grandmother was born in a small village, which had a small population and few jobs. After 1978, my grandmother moved to a big city called Foshan. That was a big city with a lot of development. In this new place, my family conditions have been greatly improved. My grandma’s decision to relocate and influenced my family and me.

             The first benefit of moving to the big city for my family was good health care and easier access to the hospital. In my grandma’s hometown, there wasn’t even a regular hospital, but only a few small clinics with poor medical conditions. The doctors only had a little bit of medical common sense. In addition, the environment of the clinics was poor. They didn’t have the sterile operating rooms, and medical equipment is scarce.  It was dangerous to operate there. When my grandmother moved to the city, she was pregnant, so she gave birth to my father and uncle in a proper hospital.  A few years later, I was born in the same hospital as them. We were fortunate to have the benefits of urban health care. In those years, it was dangerous to give birth in villages and there was a high death rate for newborn babies. Furthermore, the other thing that influenced my family was the improvement of traffic convenience. Before 1978, there was no complete roads or highways connect villages and towns. When people got a serious illness, it would take them a lot of time in traffic. In many cases, the best timing of treatment was delayed. To this day, my family is still grateful for the benefits of reform and opening up to protect our health.

            Another important affected of the reform and opening on my family was that it enabled us all to received a better education. After the reform and opening, China began to popularize nine-year compulsory education. A lot of people started getting free for school. In the old village, there was no school. People did not have a chance to accept education, and they only knew a few words, even didn’t know their own name. After reform and opening, my father could go to a good high school to study. He also went to college. There is a saying in China, that is “knowledge changes destiny.” I believe it is true. After my father graduated, he found a good job in a big company. It was not only affected our family’s income because receiving a good education can change one’s attitude,  Speech and character. Fortunately, I could also enjoy the educational opportunities by the reform and opening.

           After moving to the city, my family got better job opportunities and higher income. In the small village, it was difficult for people to find a job to support themselves. People grew vegetables in front of their houses and sold them at the market. People generally had low incomes and poor living conditions. In Foshan, my grandmother found a job about accounting for the government. It was enough for my father and uncle’s tuitions and lives. When they graduated, they both found a nice job and made good money. The effect of this is that we all have a high quality of life. We bought a house, a car and beautiful clothes. My grandmother said she never thought she could have these things a few decades ago. My family and I should be grateful for the improvement of the quality of life brought by the reform and opening-up policy.

           There were many important events have happened in Chinese history to affect the development of the country. There is no doubt that the Reform and Opening have had most deeply influents on my family. It gave us better medical care, good job opportunities and a better quality of life. This policy has also led China to prosperity and rapid economic development. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my grandmother hadn’t made that decision. I am proud of her decision and also proud of Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening. It has not only brought benefits to my family but also led China to prosperity. Our destiny changed in 1978.