proudly
stands
today.
The
longsufferings
have
only
made
her
a
nation
of
fortitude
and
perseverance.
The
experience
of
the
Chinese
nation
attests
to
a
truth:what
a
nation
loses
in
times
of
disaster
will
be
made
up
for
by
her
progress.
I
am
reminded
of
the
experience
that
I
had
in
Wenchuan，Sichuan
Province
after
the
devastating
earthquake
there
last
May.
That
earthquake
shocked
the
whole
world.
It
flattened
Beichuan
Middle
School
and
claimed
many
young
lives.
But
only
10
days
after
the
earthquake，when
I
went
there
for
the
second
time，I
had
before
my
eyes
new
classrooms
built
on
debris
by
local
villagers
with
planks.
Once
again，the
campus
echoed
with
the
sound
of
students
reading
aloud.
I
wrote
down
4
Chinese
characters
on
the
blackboard，meaning“A
country
will
emerge
stronger
from
adversities.”I
have
been
to
Wenchuan
seven
times
since
the
earthquake
and
witnessed
countless
touching
scenes
like
this.
I
am
deeply
moved
by
the
unyielding
spirit
of
my
people.
This
great
national
spirit
is
the
source
of
strength
which
has
enabled
the
Chinese
nation
to
emerge
from
all
the
hardships
stronger
than
before.
With
hard
work
over
the
past
half
century
and
more，China
has
achieved
great
progress.
Its
total
economic
output
is
now
one
of
the
largest
in
the
world.
However，we
remain
a
developing
country
and
we
are
keenly
aware
of
the
big
gap
that
we
have
with
the
developed
countries.
There
has
been
no
fundamental
change
in
our
basic
national
condition:a
big
population，weak
economic
foundation
and
uneven
development.
China’s
per
capita
GDP
ranks
behind
100
countries
in
the
world
and
is
only
about
1/18
that
of
Britain.Those
of
you
who
have
been
to
China
as
tourists
must
have
seen
the
modern
cities，but
our
rural
areas
are
still
quite
backward.