2000 to 2009:Millennial Dawn

by China Pictorial

The period from 2000 to 2009 was critical for Chinas development. The countrys various undertakings started paying off in a big way. The reform and opening up produced fruitful results， the national economy continued to develop quickly and healthily， and living standards improved across the board. Major strategic ideas such as the Scientific Outlook on Development were formed， driving the country toward a more harmonious society. During the period， many indicators including regional coordination， living standards， environmental protection and scientific and technological innovation registered remarkable achievements， and social security and cultural undertakings achieved positive results， unfolding a grand blueprint for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

2000： Western China Development

On January 10， 2000， construction of the second line project of the Baoji-Lanzhou section of the Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway officially kicked off in Tianshui City， Gansu Province. It was the first Chinese railway project of the new millennium and a prelude to the development of western China.

On December 27， 2000， the Circular of the State Council Concerning Several Policies on Carrying out the Development of Chinas Vast Western Regions was released before coming into effect on January 1， 2001. It marked a substantial step in Chinas implementation of the strategy to develop its western regions. The strategy has made a major and far-reaching impact on the economic and social development of western China.

2001： Chinas Accession to the WTO

On the afternoon of November 10， 2001， the fourth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization （WTO） held in Doha， Qatar unanimously approved Chinas entry into the WTO. China signed the WTO Accession Protocol. Thirty days later， China officially became a WTO member.

Chinas accession to the WTO brought a huge market of 1.3 billion people into the global trading system. It enabled China， the largest developing country on the planet， to gradually integrate into the international economic system and participate in global competition. Since then， Chinas economic reforms have entered a new phase featuring closer connections to the world economic and trade system.

2002： The First BFA Annual Conference

The first annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia （BFA） was held from April 12 to 13， 2002. More than 2，000 government officials， experts， scholars， and business people from 48 countries and regions including China， Japan， South Korea and Thailand attended the conference. The BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization， and holds its annual conference regularly in the coastal town of Boao， in Chinas southern province of Hainan. It is the first international conference organization located in China and has received extensive attention from all over the world.

2003： Shenzhou V Manned Spacecraft

On October 15， 2003， a Long March-2F carrier rocket lifted the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft， independently developed by China， into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. The spacecraft carried Yang Liwei， the first Chinese astronaut into space， and entered a pre-selected orbit. It was the first manned space mission carried out by China， marking a historic breakthrough in the countrys manned spaceflight program. China became the third country in the world to independently conduct manned spaceflights after the Soviet Union and the United States.

2004： West-to-East Natural Gas Pipeline

January 1， 2004： An operator at Shanghais Baihe First Station for the West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Project opens a valve to release the natural gas flow. That day， the project commenced commercial supply of natural gas to Shanghai， marking its successful completion and operation.

The West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Project runs from Lunnan in the Tarim Basin in western China to Shanghai in eastern China. Composed of the longest gas pipelines with the largest caliber in the country， it was an iconic construction project to usher in the “Western China Development” strategy.

2005： Completion of the QinghaiTibet Railway

On October 15， 2005， construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was completed. A national Class-1 railway connecting Xining in Qinghai Province to Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region， the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was one of Chinas four major projects in the new century. The longest railway on a plateau with the highest altitude in the world， it was the first railroad to connect Tibet with other parts of China.

In building this railway traversing the high-altitude plateau known for its harsh natural conditions， Chinese construction workers overcame three universal challenges： construction on permafrost， cold and oxygen deficiency and ecological fragility. By overcoming those challenges， they made great progress in the history of world railway construction. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has made a wide and far-reaching impact in changing the poor and backward plateau， promoting unity and common prosperity among all Chinese ethnic groups and boosting the rapid and sound social and economic development of both Qinghai and Tibet.

2006： Completion of the Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam， located in Yichang City， Hubei Province， serves as the main body of the Three Gorges Hydropower Station， the largest hydroelectric project in the world. Construction officially commenced on December 14， 1994 and was completed on May 20， 2006.

The Three Gorges Dam is the worlds largest water conservancy project， and many of its engineering design indicators broke world records. It is also the most comprehensive water conservancy hub in the world. A water project with maximum comprehensive benefits， it has played an active role and produced optimal results in 10 aspects such as flood control， power generation， shipping， aquaculture， tourism， South-to-North Water Diversion， water supply and irrigation； outperforming many giant power stations in the world.

2007： Chinas First Lunar Mission

Chinas lunar probe program， named Change after the Chinese goddess of the moon， was formally launched in 2004. The program consists of three stages： unmanned lunar probes， manned lunar landing and construction of a moon base. At 6：05 p.m. on October 24， 2007， Chinas first lunar orbiting satellite， Change-1， was successfully launched. On November 26， 2007， China National Space Administration released the first picture of the moon sent back by the Change-1 satellite.

The success of the Change-1 mission is considered the third milestone of Chinas space exploration following the first artificial satellite and the first manned spaceflight. It opened a new field for Chinas space engineering and accumulated substantial experience for the country to carry out further deep-space exploration.

2008： Beijing Olympics

On August 8， 2008， the 29th Olympic Games opened at the Chinese capital of Beijing. Over 10，000 athletes from 204 countries and regions participated in the Games， setting 38 new world records and 85 Olympic records. The Beijing Olympics fulfilled Chinas long-cherished dream， presenting the countrys greater confidence and openness.

2009： Sevan Driller

On June 28， 2009， Sevan Driller， the worlds first cylinder-shaped deep-sea crude oil rig and bulk storage platform independently constructed by China， was unveiled at a launch ceremony. It was a high-end， cutting-edge product harnessing the most advanced technologies in offshore oil drilling platforms at that time. The project greatly improved Chinas marine engineering capabilities.