I had a mixed feeling about 2005. There was ecstasy over great successes like the launch and return of the manned Shenzhou-VI spacecraft, and sorrow over the loss of human lives in a chain of disasters such as the coal mine blasts in several provinces. In general, however, hopes and confidence transcended frustration and disappointment.

At the beginning of last year, many analysts predicted a palpable slowdown of the national economy, citing a number of factors such as the impact of the government's macro-control measures and a possible decline of exports.

However, the economy did not show any sign of waning. The annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate will undoubtedly exceed 9 per cent for the year.

The robust growth was the result of both the inertia of years-long high-speed development, and the strong confidence the whole nation had in the development.

This confidence stemmed from a national situation featuring political and economic stability. Although there were a number of variables in both domestic and international economies, such as the governmental curbing of investment in certain industries, the rise of petroleum price and the international pressure on China's exports and currency exchange rates; and although there were some natural and artificial disasters, China witnessed neither inflation nor deflation in the past year. Most people's livelihoods improved slowly but steadily.

We Chinese seem to have developed a more mature mindset to meet challenges. For instance, the people did not panic when faced with the menace of bird flu, which hit several provinces in the second half of last year. In contrast, the pandemic SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) caused nationwide dread in 2003.

A random survey conducted by a media outlet during the bird flu crisis suggested that the general calm mood is derived from the public's confidence in the government's enhanced credibility in information flow and its ability to deal with emergencies.

The government seems to have learnt how important it is to let the public know the facts as soon as a crisis strikes.

The pollution of the Songhua River in November was a good example. The explosion of a chemical plant in Jilin in Northeast China caused the pollution. When the contaminated water neared the city of Harbin, the municipal government issued a notice about a cut-off of water supply because of "the need to repair the city's water supply network." Nobody believed the notice because it was common sense that any repair would not need to stop the whole system. People began panic buying of bottled water and rumours circulated of an earthquake.

The Harbin government soon realized the stupidity of the false excuse. It issued another notice the following day, which told the truth and advised the public on ways of storing water. The government broadcast daily TV bulletins about the situation in the river and the measures taken by the government. The public sentiment soon calmed down.

Last year also witnessed a number of man-made disasters, especially the coal mine blasts and flooding in several provinces, which involved heavy losses of human life, and the two school-related events a flood and a road accident which killed more than 200 children.

While expressing outrage at the human errors or crimes that caused the accidents, the public saw the unprecedentedly prompt coverage by the media and the fast reaction from the central government. The immediate appearance of central government officials at the scenes of accidents, the punishment of two vice-governors of Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces, the crackdown on local officials' investment in coal mines and the forced shutdown of illegal and ineligible collieries shed some light on the prospect of a solution to the chronic problems.

The natural and man-made disasters and their treatment in the past year helped the public acquire a better understanding of the concept of observing scientific rules in economic development. People are more concerned about the protection of both the environment and human lives and the supervision over behaviour of officials.

And the reports of some cases of hospitals abusing their professional power to seek profits, poor families' inability to afford increasingly expensive education and courts' wrong verdicts against innocent citizens prompted the public to ruminate on the protection of their rights in these regards.

No doubt these problems will not be solved overnight but the public are increasingly awakening to them, the media are more active in reporting them and the government is taking more concrete measures to address them. This represents progress in our society. This is reassuring.

Email: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/11/2006 page4)