expectancy
has
increased
by
5
years，and
the
83
million
people
with
disabilities
in
China
have
received
special
care
from
the
government
and
society.
All
this
points
to
the
tremendous
efforts
China
has
made
to
protect
human
rights.
We
have
introduced
free
nine-year
compulsory
education
throughout
the
country，established
the
cooperative
medical
system
in
the
rural
areas
and
improved
the
social
safety
net.
The
age-old
dream
of
the
Chinese
nation
is
being
turned
into
reality
a
dream
to
see
the
young
educated，the
sick
treated
and
the
old
cared
for.
I
want
to
quote
from
a
Tang
Dynasty
poem
to
describe
what
is
happening
in
China，“From
shore
to
shore
it
is
wide
at
high
tide，and
before
fair
wind
a
sail
is
lifting.”The
Chinese
people
are
working
hard
to
modernize
their
country.
This
is
a
great
practice
in
a
large
developing
country
both
ancient
and
new.
The
Chinese
people，with
destiny
in
their
own
hands，are
full
of
confidence
in
their
future.
My
beloved
motherland
is
a
country
that
stood
numerous
vicissitudes
but
never
gave
up.
Earlier
in
my
career，I
worked
in
northwest
China
for
many
years.
There，in
the
boundless
desert，grows
a
rare
variety
of
tree
called
euphratespoplar.
Rooted
over
50
meters
down
into
the
ground，they
thrive
in
hostile
environments，defying
droughts，sandstorms
and
salinization.
They
are
known
as
the“hero
tree”，because
a
euphrates
poplar
can
live
for
a
thousand
years.
Even
after
it
dies，it
stands
upright
for
a
thousand
years，and
even
after
it
falls，it
stays
intact
for
another
thousand
years.
I
like
the
euphrates
poplar
because
they
symbolize
the
resilience
of
the
Chinese
nation.
Over
the
millennia，the
Chinese
nation
has
weathered
numerous
disasters，both
natural
and
man-made，surmounted
all
kinds
of
difficulties
and
challenges，and
made
her
way
to
where
she