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Landmark events echo through decades of development in China

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-10-29 13:23

On April 2, 2007, the first four overseas banks - HSBC, Citi, Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of East Asia - launched their locally incorporated entities in Shanghai. Capital growth

On May 9 of 1998, the People's Bank of China began offering individual mortgage loans. New homes, new hopes

In 1997, Zindart Manufacturing Limited, in which ChinaVest invested $12 million in 1993, became the first Chinese company to be listed on NASDAQ. VC invasion

Manulife-Sinochem Life,the country's first joint venture insurance company between Canada's Manulife Financial and China Foreign Economic and Trade Trust & Investment Company was set up in 1996. No assurance of success

Chinese consumers commonly regard France-based Carrefour's launch of its first China hypermarket in Beijing in 1995 as the debut of foreign retail chain enterprises in the nation. Smart mart

China decided to implement a five-and-a-half-day beginning in May 1994, and in May 1995 the government approved the full two-day weekend. Playday 

China's first approved foreign tourist destination for Chinese travelers was Thailand in 1988. The Chinese wave

November 12, 1987 was a milestone in the fast food industry in China. That was the day KFC made its first foray into the Chinese mainland. Fast food nation

On July 27, 1987, lottery sales started and vice-mayor Sun Yongsheng, who was among a number of government officials to campaign for the lottery, bought the country's first 10 lottery tickets from Tang. Jackpot!

In December 1987, the government institution made 100 cell phones available in the name of supporting the upcoming 6th National Athletic Games. Upward mobility

On September 20, 1987, a group of researchers at the Institute for Computer Science of China's State Commission of Machine Industry sent an e-mail to the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. The message is now widely believed to be the first e-mail sent from China. In the beginning...

China began building its first nuclear power plant in Qinshan in 1985. The nuclear option 

In March of 1985, Bank of China (BOC)'s Zhuhai branch issued the first BOC card. It was also the first bankcard in China and also functioned as a credit card. Charge!

The first joint venture contract manaufacturing autos was signed between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp and Volkswagen in 1984. Driving force

The first generation of female migrant workers rushed to Shenzhen in 1982. A massive migration

Beijing's 468-room Jian'guo hotel, the first post-reform posh hotel property,was a joint venture by the Beijing government and a Chinese- American entrepreneur named Slam Chen who had been working in the American hospitality sector, with the former holding 51 percent shares. Located in the CBD (central business district), the hotel opened in April 1982. Chain reaction

Twenty seven years of China Daily present a sharp contrast, from the June 2, 1981 edition (right) to a May 26, 2008 edition (left), and the online version (center).

In late 1970s following the reform and opening-up policy there emerged an urgent need for a better channel of communications with the new friends and business partners whose native language is English, and that was why China Daily made its timely debut in June 1981. In step with China

The establishment of the Advanced Technology Development Service Department of the Plasma Association on October 23, 1980, was a landmark for not only Zhongguancun but also China's hi-tech industry, because it was the nation's first private technology company. Tomorrow Village

China enacted its first law on individual income tax in September 1980. Taxing the brains

In May 1980, late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping designated four cities as "special economic zones" - the first testing grounds for the reform. Shenzhen Zen

On September 13, 1979, China passed its first ever draft of the Environmental Protection Law of People's Republic of China.A legal leap forward

Cardin brought a full-fledged show to the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in April 1979, and tickets were only distributed to "internal" personnel, such as major apparel manufacturers, traders and government officials. Facelift

In 1979 when Shanghai Television decided to broadcast its first TV commercial, it faced unprecedented resistance and controversy. Commercial appeal  

During a winter's night in December, 1978, the 18 rural residents, worried about the survival of their families, secretly gathered in Yan Lihua's small house to press their fingerprints on a contract. Seeds of change

In 1978, China and the US agreed to send students and visiting fellows to each other's universities. Maximizing returns