On the vast cultural landscape of China, the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu Province, which was built more than 1,600 years ago, is like a bright pearl. When delivering the New Year's message for 2025, President Xi Jinping shared what he had seen, heard and felt in the past year, mentioning the "Oriental Smile" of the Maijishan Grottoes that has spanned thousands of years.
Smile is the concrete expression of happiness.
Looking forward to the new year, President Xi encouraged everyone to work hard together to "solve the big and small problems around the people, so that everyone can smile more and feel warmer in their hearts". These plain words are full of the original intention of serving the people that has been adhered to for decades.
Projects Benefiting the People
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Effectively Solving the Production and Living Problems of the People
"How sweet the water is!"
"The tap water has reached the kitchen, and there is also a water heater for bathing. All aspects of life have been greatly improved, and there is no need to worry about water anymore." The clear and sweet Tao River water is flowing joyfully all the way, and the sense of happiness and gain of the masses is beyond words.
Diverting the Tao River water to quench the thirst of central Gansu is something that the local people have been looking forward to day and night, and it is also a livelihood project that General Secretary Xi Jinping has been concerned about for more than a decade.
In September 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping, who was on an inspection tour in Gansu Province, listened to the report on the Tao River Water Diversion Project. After learning that nearly 6 million people had bid farewell to the bitter and salty water, the General Secretary's brows relaxed and he showed a smile.
"The Tao River Water Diversion Project is well-built and has solved the urgent need." The General Secretary emphasized that more such projects benefiting the people should be grasped to effectively solve the production and living problems faced by the people.
At the end of last year, the Beijing-Wei County Expressway was fully opened to traffic. The travel time from the Western Sixth Ring Road of Beijing to Wei County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, has been shortened from 3 hours to less than 2 hours, and Zhuolu County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, can be reached from Beijing within 1 hour.
"Building a road can activate a city." "It's really fast and convenient!"... As the "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei on Track" is accelerating its formation, the happiness index of the masses is increasing day by day.
Also at the end of last year, 21 municipal urban construction competition projects in Fuzhou completed their annual construction targets. The "exclusive" passages of the surrounding supporting communities have won the praise of local residents: "The road in front of our community has finally been repaired!" "It's spacious and grand. I feel much more at ease when going out now!"
Holding up the Happiness of "the Elderly and the Young"
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Doing Practical Things to the Hearts of the People
When looking back on 2024 in the New Year's message, President Xi Jinping especially mentioned that he has always been concerned about the issue of "the elderly and the young" that everyone cares about.
Community activity rooms, people's homes, grassroots health institutions, school classrooms... The General Secretary's concern for "the elderly and the young" is engraved in his inspection footprints.
At Xining Minzu Middle School in Guoluo, Qinghai Province, he entered the cafeteria and dormitory building to check the students' dining and accommodation conditions, and told the cafeteria staff to "ensure the safety and delicious nutrition of the students' diet".
At the Yisi Village Elderly Care Service Station in Panjiawan Town, Hubei Province, he touched the thickness of the quilt, asked whether the food was delicious, and told the elderly to "take good care of their health and live a long life!"
"The elderly and the young" are the affairs of ordinary people, and more importantly, major issues of people's livelihood.
In 2023, the coverage rate of inclusive kindergartens in China has reached 90.8%; in 2024, the Preschool Education Law was introduced, and the legislative process of the Childcare Service Law was accelerated; the Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Enhancing the Well-being of the Elderly put forward 26 measures in 4 aspects... continuously strengthening the bottom line of people's livelihood for "the elderly and the young".
"We are very relieved to send our grandson here and have professional nursery teachers to take care of him." In Shanghai, the community baby rooms built "at the doorstep" completely refer to the kindergarten standards in terms of safety, hygiene and fire protection, providing hourly and temporary childcare services at the doorstep for children aged 1 to 3, making many parents who are worried about taking care of their children smile.
"Having this canteen is very convenient, and the variety of dishes and the combination of meat and vegetables are very good." In recent years, many places have explored the establishment of community canteens to solve the problems of "difficulty in cooking" and "difficulty in eating" for the surrounding residents, especially the elderly. In 2023 alone, more than 1,700 community canteens of various types were newly registered nationwide.
"It is our common wish to enable the elderly to be provided for, live a happy life and enjoy good health and a long life." "It is our greatest wish that the children can grow up better." Under the care of the General Secretary, a series of practical measures have been promoted in a timely manner, and thousands of families have felt relieved.
Solving "Big and Small Issues"
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Making People Live a Happy Life is the Top Priority
The Minzhu Village Community in Xiejiawan Subdistrict, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, was once a well-known "old, dilapidated and small" community with old pipe networks, poor houses and lack of supporting facilities.
In April 2024, the General Secretary came here and saw that the buildings were neat and bright, the Party-mass Service Center was fully functional, and the community canteen smelled delicious every meal time.
The changes from an "old, dilapidated and small" community to a "new home" are all due to "a matter that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China cares about very much, that is, to transform the old residential areas well". During this trip, the General Secretary clearly required Party committees and governments at all levels to "invest more financial and material resources to solve people's livelihood problems and do some practical things for people's livelihood every year".
In the Chinese path to modernization, people's livelihood matters most.
"Waking up, I pay nearly 1,000 yuan less in mortgage every month." Since last year, with the decline in mortgage interest rates, many home buyers have posted their mortgage "bills" online. Some people's monthly mortgage payments have been reduced by several hundred yuan, and the total interest payment will be reduced by more than 100,000 yuan.
"At first, my monthly pension was a little over 100 yuan, and now it's over 180 yuan. I'm very happy." A villager from Xipo Village, Ningyuanbao Town, Jinchuan District, Jinchang City, Gansu Province, sighed that he had been engaged in farming all year round and didn't expect to not only receive a pension, but also see it rising continuously.
"I took the opportunity of the trade-in of consumer goods to replace my refrigerator and washing machine. The new home appliances have more functions and are more intelligent and environmentally friendly..." Since last year, the trade-in policy of consumer goods has provided real subsidies, which has kindled the enthusiasm for trade-in and made consumers smile more.
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As President Xi Jinping said in the New Year's message, over the past year, the basic pension has been increased, the mortgage interest rate has been reduced, the direct settlement scope has been expanded to facilitate medical treatment in different places, and the trade-in of consumer goods has improved the quality of life... Everyone's sense of gain has been further enriched.
"Family affairs, national affairs and world affairs, making people live a happy life is the top priority."
From the "Oriental Smile" of the Maijishan Grottoes to the heartfelt smiles of hundreds of millions of people, it has spanned thousands of years.（Outlook New Era）
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