In the long, remarkable and still unfolding historical record of China, the year 2008 will go down as a particularly extraordinary entry.

During the snowstorm that swept through the south at the beginning of the year, and after the deadly May 12 Wenchuan Earthquake, the nation managed to endure and prevail through hard and painful times.

And last year brought great joy. Foremost among the good times were the Beijing Olympic Games, China’s first spacewalk and, most recently, the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the policy of reform and opening up.

Now a looming economic crisis casts a cloud over the coming of 2009, and we are again reminded that China’s position in the global political and economic realm is now inseparable from the rest of the world. In reviewing the major events of 2008, we note the many Chinese citizens who have left their mark on the world stage. High achievers in all walks of life, they have contributed greatly to their respective fields, in China and around the world.

In recognition, the Chinese-language People’s Pictorial, China Pictorial English edition, Russian-language China magazine, Korean-language business monthly China, China Fotobank and other media outlets joined hands to launch the appraisal of the “Influential Chinese Figures of the Year 2008.” The goal is to show our profound respect for these special individuals, while encouraging more Chinese people to contribute to progress and development in the world by drawing greater attention to those important contributions.

All our candidates fulfill the following criteria: They hold Chinese citizenship; they have realized a profound and extensive impact on the world; and they lead the world in their professional fields. Last but not least, national characteristics are emphasized. That is to say: The jury greatly valued contributions with Chinese characteristics.

The jury consisted of directors, editors and reporters from China’s authoritative external dissemination media. The “Influential Chinese Figures of the Year 2008” were selected through voting, referring to the rules similar activities adopted through democratic discussions.

We initiated the appraisal aiming to construct a platform to promote friendly exchange between the people of China and the rest of the world. Through this exchange, people of other nations will gain a better understanding of the people of China, and China, in turn, will gain a better understanding of the world.

by Hua Gulao/CFP

by Wang Wenquan

by Zhu Jiutong

by Chen Kai/Xinhua

Yang Yi/ CFP

Zhang Yuejiao has approximately 30 years of experience in international trade law and 10 years of experience with international institutions. She took part in drafting more than 10 foreign trade laws and handled about 300 cases of international trade disputes.

Zhang once served as director of the Treaty and Law Department of the erstwhile Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (now the Ministry of Commerce). She was the head of the European Representative Office of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and held other important posts. She was part of the Chinese delegation to the intellectual property negotiations and worked as a counsel for the negotiations of China’s re-entry to the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and entry into the WTO (World Trade Organization).

Zhang’s work experience reveals her strength and capability. On May 20, 2008, at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Zhang took her oath of office as a member of the Appellate Body of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), becoming the first judge from the Chinese mainland to be seated on WTO’s highest court. The WTO's seven-member Appellate Body issues final rulings in trade disputes. It requires members to be broadly representative of WTO membership, and be equipped with internationally-acknowledged expertise and abilities.

Justin Yifu Lin Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank

Justin Yifu Lin likely could not have imagined he would later achieve so much, when he swam to the mainland from Kinmen Island holding a basketball, 30 years ago. After finishing intense and systematic economics education in Beijing and in Chicago, Illinois, Lin chose to return to Peking University to teach, becoming the first Chinese economist to return to China after pursuing advanced education overseas.

In 1994, Li established the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University. As a founder, in a very short time he built the center into one of the most important think tanks for the Chinese Government. A leading economist, Li conducts profound studies in the fields of development and transitional economics. He holds that China should continue to implement the comparative advantage strategy, bringing in advanced technologies at low costs, accumulating capital rapidly and then realizing an industry upgrade. He holds that the reform of state-owned enterprises is crucial to sustaining the continued high-speed growth of the economy. Lin has an optimistic view towards the Chinese economy, believing that the country will comprise the largest economy in the world around the year 2030.

On May 31, 2008, Lin took the office of vice president of the World Bank and became its chief economist. It was the first time that the World Bank placed an economist from a developing country in the post. “As our first chief economist from a developing country, and an expert on economic development and particularly agriculture, Justin Lin brings a unique set of skills and experience to the World Bank Group,” said World Bank President Robert Zoellick in a statement on the day Lin assumed the post.

Zhai Zhigang First Chinese Spacewalker

At 16:34 p.m., September 27, 2008, Zhai Zhigang, Taikonaut Number One aboard the Shenzhou VII, slipped out of the orbital module to begin his spacewalk. “Shenzhou VII is now outside the spacecraft. I feel well. I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world,” the taikonaut reported to ground control in Beijing after pulling himself out of the capsule. Geared-up in a white spacesuit, for the first time Zhai waved the Chinese national flag in outer space against the backdrop of Earth.

When the US achieved its first lunar landing, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said. After Zhai became the first Chinese spacewalker, the nation’s media borrowed the sentence, stating, “That’s one small step for Zhai Zhigang, one giant leap for China.”

The long cherished dream of the Chinese people to journey to space was realized with the launch of Shenzhou V in 2003. Through the efforts of taikonauts Yang Liwei, Fei Junlong, Nie Haisheng and others, China attained the goal of a spacewalk in a relatively short period of time. “Getting man into space is no easy task, to build an entire manned program in such a short space of time, from the ground-up, is an outstanding achievement,” Time magazine commented.

Zhai’s spacewalk signifies a leap-forward in China’s space program, while also signifying that the nation has become one of the most advanced countries in the field, laying a foundation for its future moon probe program.