70 Keywords for 70 Years(1949--2019)

Compiled by 70 Keywords for 70 Years project team

Beijing Language and Culture University Press

January 2020

58.00 (CNY)

Over the 70 years since 1949， China has undergone tremendous development and changes. More and more foreigners have entered China to experience China’s tradition and modernity. Centered around the 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China， especially the more than 40 years of reform and opening up and the 70 keywords that reflect China’s development and changes over the past 10 years， nearly 100 foreigners who have visited China have shared their personal experiences and described their impressions of China.

Mobile Payment

Ines Barkana

Tunisia

I don’t have any cash in my pockets， only bank cards in my wallet. I think most Chinese are the same and just use their mobile phones to eat， drink， and play. Every time we go out to eat or go shopping with friends， we normally pay by just scanning the QR code on the table or letting the shop assistants scan the QR code on our phones. No matter where you go， as long as you make sure your phone battery doesn’t die and that you have Internet access， you’re fine! Every time new friends come to China， the first thing I tell them to do is create Alipay and WeChat Pay accounts， if you don’t have these it’s almost impossible to live in China. I think this form of making payments is very convenient and safe. You don’t need to have much cash on you， and you won’t lose your money even if you lose your cell phone.

Aurora Sánchez Valencia

Mexico

Mobile payment is money paid for a product or service through a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone. Mobile payment technology can also be used to send money to one’s friends or family members. This kind of payment is used across China， including in some small towns. When I arrived in China， I realized that all the big chain stores and small individual stores have their own QR codes in order to accept this kind of payment. To be honest， at the beginning I was shocked， because in the country I come from， most people lack access to this payment method. Even in big stores， people just use cash or a bank card as their payment method.

Mobile payment is such a secure method that people can avoid carrying credit cards or cash， which is why a lot of consumers， including me， adopt this kind of payment method as a part of our daily life.

Guanghui Zhuo

America

Two days before my trip to China， I bought myself a wallet as a present. Who would have thought that the wallet has become an obsolete thing here in China? As it has turned out， China has entered a cashless society where almost all business transactions are made through electronic payment. A cell phone is all that is needed for purchasing goods and services.

There is no doubt that electronic payment， such as Alipay， WeChat Pay， and Baidu Wallet， has changed people’s consumption patterns. Consumers can enjoy the convenience of not having to carry around their wallets and cash. This new method of payment also benefits business owners by allowing faster， safer， and more transparent transactions without the hassle of change.

Belt and Road

Manuel Maria Martins Lopes

Portugal

The year 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Portugal and the People’s Republic of China， as well as the 20th anniversary of the return of Macao to China. Last December， the signing of new partnership documents signals the beginning of a new stage in the relations between both countries， under the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Portugal and the People’s Republic of China have acknowledged the collaborative work done over the past four decades and are keenly aware of the new opportunities and responsibilities entailed by this new stage. Drawing its inspiration from an old Chinese saying， “Nothing can separate people with common goals and ideals， not even mountains and seas，” both countries are involved in multifaceted bilateral collaboration.

Five hundred years ago， Portuguese sailors arrived in China by sea; now it’s time for Portugal to receive Chinese sailors who round the Cape of Good Hope to Sines Portuguese harbor and Chinese passengers who arrive at Lisbon East Railway Station by train， under the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Betül Ak?akaya

Turkey

Turkey spreads across Eurasia and occupies a very important geographical position on the Silk Road of Asia and Europe. In recent years， China has participated in the construction of Turkish railways and provided locomotives and cars. Izmir， Turkey’s third largest city with a well-developed port and rail network， is an important meeting point for the Belt and Road Initiative in Turkey. CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co.， Ltd. once designed and built a train for Izmir.

As someone from Izmir who’s lived in China before， I had the privilege of visiting CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co.， Ltd. When I first entered the factory， I was impressed by China’s railway system. The manipulators were highly automatic， and the overall operation was very precise. The dedicated workers produced quality results. After the visit， I felt that we could fully trust their work. I hope that we can achieve the same success.