Parade sparks memories of difficult life, inspires pride

The most impressive part of the grand parade for me was when over 160 aircraft flew across Tian'anmen Square, causing flag-waving spectators to cheer. Some of the planes flew in formations making the number 70 in the sky, while others left trails of colored smoke.

This is in stark contrast to the scenes during the nation's founding ceremony 70 years ago. With only 17 planes participating in the parade, Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the republic, ordered some of the aircraft to fly across the square twice.

Seventy years is only a short period of time in the ancient civilization's long history, but the increase in the number of aircraft used during National Day celebrations is just a microcosm of significant changes hardly with a precedent in the history of mankind.

As the aircraft roared over my head, I couldn't help thinking about the changes I personally have experienced.

Born in 1986 in rural area of Weihai, Shandong province, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I refer to the changes over the past decades as "earthshaking".

A childhood scene played in my mind amid the celebrations.

I was standing on the edge of our farm watching my parents plow the land with the help of a cattle we borrowed.

My father found it hard to control the cattle. Wearing a frown, and with a red flush spreading from his face to his neck, he lost his temper and blamed my mother for her failure to offer help.

Another childhood scene, wheat harvesting, left another bitter memory. Bending over with a sickle in one hand, you had to cut the crop from the parts near the root one small bundle at a time.

There were only two electric threshers in my village of 600 households. Once the crop was reaped, every household had to wait around the clock for their turn to use the machines. I got so tired while waiting that sometimes I fell asleep on the wheat stack.

Now, those past difficulties have been made a lot easier thanks to the availability of advanced machinery. Wheat harvesting used to take us two days, but now it can be done in less than one hour with a wheat cropper.

What's more, the unpaved narrow two-lane road connecting our village to the outside world has been transformed into a six-lane highway. Few families in my village owned tractors in the early 1990s. Now, it's not unusual if some families own two cars.

Thinking of how far my village has come since I was a child, I just couldn't help taking pride in my country as I watched the parade. I sincerely believe that we will continue to strive forward and harvest even greater changes.