[Guatemala] Esquivel Salguero Celia Judith del Rosario, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
I am from Guatemala in Central America, which is the cradle of the Maya civilization. I came to China in 2010. As a veteran traveler, I have visited many cities during my 10 years of living in China. I have not only appreciated China’s vastness but also witnessed its rapid development of economy and technology. I have ever visited some poor counties and witnessed how the poverty relief officials solved problems and did practical actions for the grassroots people. I have realized that the longer I live in China, the deeper affection I have for this country.
At the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began to attack Wuhan. I was terrified to realize that the “plague” had come when the municipal government of Wuhan announced the lockdown on January 23, 2020. The limited capacity of hospitals, the scarcity of medical resources, the rumors “Wuhan people – the symbol of virus” on the internet… all these things made my family in Central America extremely worried.
Many foreigners in Wuhan had left with the assistance of their embassies. But, I chose to stay, with firm belief that the Chinese government has the capability of emergency response and the Communist Party of China (CPC) would lead the Wuhan citizens and Chinese people to defeat the pandemic.
On January 27, 2020, the third day after the Lunar New Year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang paid a visit to Wuhan. What arrived in Wuhan were countless vegetables and necessities donated as well as the medical teams from across the nation, helping the local people quickly tame the pandemic. As a witness of this “fight with the pandemic,” I have seen how the CPC Central Committee, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core, implemented and responded timely.
I have felt the abilities of governments at all levels to organize, coordinate and deal with crises. I have also witnessed how Chinese people, under the leadership of CPC, overcame difficulties and unified to defeat the pandemic. Coming through this baptism, admiration for Wuhan and China has grown in addition to my love for them.
What also greatly impresses me is the progress of China in the past decade, during which China’s technology has developed rapidly: the accomplishment of the lunar exploration program under the leadership of the CPC, the construction of the network of the Beidou Navigation Satellites System, the technological advances including the development and application of 5G technology, the high-speed railway network, the livelihood related projects such as the completeness of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge… all these achievements have attracted worldwide attention. During my stay in China, I have felt an improving quality of life and a growing sense of happiness.
The development of the grassroots is as essential as the economic and technological growth. China always concerns about its ordinary people. In 2020, Chinese government announced the complete eradication of extreme poverty. I lived for a period of time in Dahua Yao Autonomous County in Hechi city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. I witnessed how the poverty relief officials went to the countryside and mountain areas and did practical actions for the grassroots.
The government offered free buildings to the needy, whose living environment significantly improved. Each poverty relief official was assigned specific households to support and assist, with his name appeared on those households’ door plates. I have also visited some local residents, experiencing their routine life, dancing, singing and sharing their joy of a better life.
In my 10 years of living in China, I have witnessed China’s rapid development of technology and economy, the success in poverty alleviation and eradication, Chinese people’s positive attitude exhibited during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic under the leadership of the CPC.
The CPC as I see, is a party that serves people wholeheartedly without being afraid of hardship and tiredness. In return, it is deeply loved and esteemed by its people. I believe, in the future, I will witness more and more miracles of China. At the same time, I will become a practitioner, doing my best to tell the wonderful stories of China.
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
