2008 has been a year of up's and down's here in China, on many different fronts.  Of course, 2008 was a much anticipated year here in this country, as the eyes of the world turned their attention to China this summer, as Beijing played host to the Olympic Games.  And while the Games turned out to be a widely hailed success, the weeks leading up to the Olympics were filled with a sense of sadness as this country dealt with the grim toll left by the massive earthquake which leveled Wenchuan County in Sichuan province.  It was also an interesting year on the political and economic fronts, with the government unveiling a massive 4 trillion yuan stimulus package to keep the economy rolling forward. 

Ni hao, you're listening to a special edition of  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International, as we look back on the major events that took place here in China over the past year.  So let's get started.

(Music)

As 2008 began, much of the attention here in China, and especially in Beijing, was centered around the last-minute preparations for the Olympic Games here in Beijing.  And while unfortunate events like the Sichuan earthquake, the massive southern China snowstorm and a deadly train derailment in Shandong preceded the big event, it couldn't quell the enthusiasm of the Chinese people and drew thousands upon thousands of people into China.  Among those who visited China during the Olympic Games was Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.  We were granted a rare opportunity to speak with him.

(Dialogue with Kissinger)

Another source of national pride also took place following the Olympic Games.  In late September, China became only the third country to conduct a spacewalk while in orbit, thanks to the brave efforts of the crew of the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.  To analyze this historic event we had a chance to chat with Professor Sun Kwok, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong.

(Dialogue with Kwok)

We're going to take a short break, and continue our review of 2008 here in China in just a moment.  Stay with us.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to our final edition of  People In the Knowin 2008, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  I'm Paul James in Beijing.  On this, the last day of the year, we're reviewing the major events that took place within China this year.  Of course, the Olympics and the success of Shenzhou 7 were great sources of national pride this year.  But another event, a much more unfortunate one, also rallied the Chinese people.  On May 12th, a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Wenchuan County in Sichuan, leaving almost 70,000 people dead and more than 5 million people homeless.  And while the earthquake was one of the most devastating events to ever happen in China, let alone around the world, it rallied the people of China in an unprecedented way to donate and show their support for the victims.  A few days after the earthquake we talked with Victor Gao about this.  He's the Director of the China National Association of International Studies.

(Dialogue with Gao)

And of course 2008 was also a big year politically and economically as well.  Chinese leaders made overtures to China's neighbors to the east, culminating with an official visit this year to Japan by President Hu Jintao.  This year marked a number of changes to the State Council line up as well, with 4 new faces being added.  And it was that same State Council that, toward the tail end of this year, made one of the biggest political and economic decisions of the year, announcing a 4 trillion yuan stimulus package to try to shield China from the worst impacts of the global economic downturn we're in right now.  We spoke to Zhuang Jian, Senior Economist with the Asian Development Bank's Resident Mission here in China to get his thoughts on the stimulus package.

(Dialogue with Zhuang)

Unfortunately this is all the time we have for our look back at 2008 here in China on this, the final day of the year.  Of course there were many, many events which helped shape the way in which 2009 will look this year in China, far too many in fact to fit into one program.  But be assured that we here at  People In the Know will continue our efforts in 2009 to keep that window into your world open, and keep you informed, in detail, about the events shaping your life.  On behalf of the Management here in the English Service of China Radio International, PIK Executive Director Zhao Yang and Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang, this is Paul James in Beijing, hoping your 2008 was a good year, and that 2009 is even better.  We'll talk to you in the new year!