For the Chinese, 2008 is an unforgettable year.
The country experienced historical events such as record-setting snow storms in south and central China, a disastrous earthquake which killed tens of thousands and of course there were the Beijing Olympics and China's first space walk. It wasn't just events that made 2008 memorable. People, be they respected experts in a certain area or controversial figures, also have their images deeply-rooted in the minds of Chinese. Xinhua's top ten most memorable faces of 2008 are:
-- Zhai Zhigang
It was a small step by Zhai Zhigang, but when China's first taikonaut walked in space, he solidified the country's place in scientific history.
On Sept. 27, millions of Chinese watched his maiden 20-minute space walk on TV. The feat made China the third country in the world to successfully send a man on a spacewalk, after Russia and the United States.
When Zhai popped out of the space craft in a Chinese-designed space suit, the 42-year-old became a national hero.
The son of a snack vendor, Zhai dreamt of flying in space as an impoverished teenager. He was selected as the backup taikonaut for China's first manned spaceflight in 2003 and then again for the second mission in 2005. He missed out on both.
Through perseverance, Zhai presented the world with a face of courage that was out of this world.
-- Justin Yifu Lin
In February, Justin Yifu Lin became the first person from a developing country to be appointed as World Bank chief economist and senior vice president for development economics.
A self-made man, Lin earned a PHD from the University of Chicago. He returned to China in the 1980s and became the founder and director of the China Center for Economic Research at China's prestigious Peking University.
Lin is well known for his work on fiscal decentralization, enterprise reform, urban and rural modernization and agricultural innovation and reform.
His appearance on the world stage early this year, set the country alight with hope that a Chinese would make contributions to economic globalization.
-- Wu Jiafang
Wu Jiafang, became a disaster hero after the May 12 earthquake for trying to preserve the dignity of his dead wife.
He was photographed with her body tied to him while he was on his motorbike. After retrieving her from the quake's rubble, he wanted to drive her body to their home and bury her there.
Wu's image came to represent the heroic, selfless acts of many during the earthquake including policewoman Jiang Min. She continued to help quake-victims despite losing 10 family members. There was also middle school teacher Tan Qianqiu who sheltered his four students from quake debris with his arms.
As time goes by, their faces still linger in the memory of the Chinese people who were deeply impacted by what happened in Sichuan.
-- Zhou Zhenglong
The real power of the Internet was realized in 2008 as netizens became empowered to expose scandals and corruption.
Zhou Zhenglong, a farmer from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, became a household name after being exposed for faking photos of a tiger subspecies believed extinct in the wild in China.
The pictures, created by Photoshop, prompted widespread media speculation, but surprisingly won the support of local forestry authorities.
Netizens, however, found an old Lunar New Year poster showing a tiger which looked exactly the same as Zhou's photo. He was then arrested and in November, sentenced to two and a half years in prison with a three-year reprieve.
The scandal also brought down 13 government staff in Shaanxi who were either sacked or reprimanded.
-- Huang Guangyu
A police investigation of the mainland's richest man, Huang Guangyu, made Chinese rethink trying to become a much-admired business tycoon.
Huang, 39, whose personal wealth is estimated at 43 billion yuan (more than 6 billion U.S. dollars), was detained on Nov. 24 on claims that he had manipulated share trading in two listed companies, Sanlian Commercial Co. and Beijing Centergate Technologies Co..
Nearly a month after his detainment, Huang was removed as the chairman of China's top electronics retailer GOME.
His case revealed loopholes China ignored while concentrating on its economic growth. His detention also inspired people to call for a healthier market environment for business owners to compete in.
-- Volunteers
Generosity, friendly attitudes and selflessness during the May 12 earthquake as well as the Olympics places volunteers on 2008's list.
Statistics released by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League show more than five million volunteers helped out with relief work after the magnitude-8.0 Sichuan-based earthquake.
An estimated 1.7 million people volunteered services during the Beijing Olympics, Liu Jian, director of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games Volunteer Department said.
The volunteers' smiles were considered the "name card" China presented to the world's audience.
-- Victims of tainted dairy products
China's dairy scandal was exposed in September after babies who were fed milk powder, produced by the Hebei Province-based Sanlu Group, developed kidney stones.
Hundreds of thousands of parents had to take their children to hospitals for tests and medication, some traveling long distances.
China says it was likely melamine-tainted products killed six babies. Another 294,000 infants suffered from urinary problems such as kidney stones. As of Nov. 27, a total of 861 babies were still in the hospital.
The scandal led to the resignation of China's chief quality supervisor Li Changjiang. Several officials were sacked, arrests were made and the government is working on overhauling the country's dairy industry.
-- Chinese soldiers
Chinese soldiers have been labeled as a group that contributes the most while reaping the least.
December, naval vessels deployed to the coast of Somalia to escort merchant ships threatened by pirates.
Disaster response and security is what mainly occupied soldiers' time in 2008.
Official statistics show more than 130,000 soldiers, armed police and paramilitary personnel engaged in quake-relief work.
Before the Beijing Olympic Games, an anti-terrorist force of nearly 100,000 commandos, police and troops was put on high alert for attempted terrorist attacks. They also worked throughout the Games to provide security.
-- Migrant Workers
Farmers who travel to work in cities from rural areas have been a driving force behind China's fast-growing economy often working in construction, at factories, restaurants and serving as domestic servants and drivers.
For the first time in 2008, three migrant workers, Zhu Xueqin, Hu Xiaoyan and Kang Houming were elected as deputies in the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC).
They became the first representatives for the country's 210 million migrant laborers.
-- The first generation after the implementation of China's one-child policy
The first generation born after the implementation of China's one-child policy in 1978 began to turn 30 this year.
Better education and increased material wealth made them more worldly and open-minded than previous generations.
To some extent, they represent the emerging China with an optimistic, confident and open outlook.
However, some wonder whether their "self-centered qualities," such as obsessions with icons and hyper-consumerism can bolster the country's future.
The country experienced historical events such as record-setting snow storms in south and central China, a disastrous earthquake which killed tens of thousands and of course there were the Beijing Olympics and China's first space walk. It wasn't just events that made 2008 memorable. People, be they respected experts in a certain area or controversial figures, also have their images deeply-rooted in the minds of Chinese. Xinhua's top ten most memorable faces of 2008 are:
-- Zhai Zhigang
It was a small step by Zhai Zhigang, but when China's first taikonaut walked in space, he solidified the country's place in scientific history.
On Sept. 27, millions of Chinese watched his maiden 20-minute space walk on TV. The feat made China the third country in the world to successfully send a man on a spacewalk, after Russia and the United States.
When Zhai popped out of the space craft in a Chinese-designed space suit, the 42-year-old became a national hero.
The son of a snack vendor, Zhai dreamt of flying in space as an impoverished teenager. He was selected as the backup taikonaut for China's first manned spaceflight in 2003 and then again for the second mission in 2005. He missed out on both.
Through perseverance, Zhai presented the world with a face of courage that was out of this world.
-- Justin Yifu Lin
In February, Justin Yifu Lin became the first person from a developing country to be appointed as World Bank chief economist and senior vice president for development economics.
A self-made man, Lin earned a PHD from the University of Chicago. He returned to China in the 1980s and became the founder and director of the China Center for Economic Research at China's prestigious Peking University.
Lin is well known for his work on fiscal decentralization, enterprise reform, urban and rural modernization and agricultural innovation and reform.
His appearance on the world stage early this year, set the country alight with hope that a Chinese would make contributions to economic globalization.
-- Wu Jiafang
Wu Jiafang, became a disaster hero after the May 12 earthquake for trying to preserve the dignity of his dead wife.
He was photographed with her body tied to him while he was on his motorbike. After retrieving her from the quake's rubble, he wanted to drive her body to their home and bury her there.
Wu's image came to represent the heroic, selfless acts of many during the earthquake including policewoman Jiang Min. She continued to help quake-victims despite losing 10 family members. There was also middle school teacher Tan Qianqiu who sheltered his four students from quake debris with his arms.
As time goes by, their faces still linger in the memory of the Chinese people who were deeply impacted by what happened in Sichuan.
-- Zhou Zhenglong
The real power of the Internet was realized in 2008 as netizens became empowered to expose scandals and corruption.
Zhou Zhenglong, a farmer from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, became a household name after being exposed for faking photos of a tiger subspecies believed extinct in the wild in China.
The pictures, created by Photoshop, prompted widespread media speculation, but surprisingly won the support of local forestry authorities.
Netizens, however, found an old Lunar New Year poster showing a tiger which looked exactly the same as Zhou's photo. He was then arrested and in November, sentenced to two and a half years in prison with a three-year reprieve.
The scandal also brought down 13 government staff in Shaanxi who were either sacked or reprimanded.
-- Huang Guangyu
A police investigation of the mainland's richest man, Huang Guangyu, made Chinese rethink trying to become a much-admired business tycoon.
Huang, 39, whose personal wealth is estimated at 43 billion yuan (more than 6 billion U.S. dollars), was detained on Nov. 24 on claims that he had manipulated share trading in two listed companies, Sanlian Commercial Co. and Beijing Centergate Technologies Co..
Nearly a month after his detainment, Huang was removed as the chairman of China's top electronics retailer GOME.
His case revealed loopholes China ignored while concentrating on its economic growth. His detention also inspired people to call for a healthier market environment for business owners to compete in.
-- Volunteers
Generosity, friendly attitudes and selflessness during the May 12 earthquake as well as the Olympics places volunteers on 2008's list.
Statistics released by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League show more than five million volunteers helped out with relief work after the magnitude-8.0 Sichuan-based earthquake.
An estimated 1.7 million people volunteered services during the Beijing Olympics, Liu Jian, director of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games Volunteer Department said.
The volunteers' smiles were considered the "name card" China presented to the world's audience.
-- Victims of tainted dairy products
China's dairy scandal was exposed in September after babies who were fed milk powder, produced by the Hebei Province-based Sanlu Group, developed kidney stones.
Hundreds of thousands of parents had to take their children to hospitals for tests and medication, some traveling long distances.
China says it was likely melamine-tainted products killed six babies. Another 294,000 infants suffered from urinary problems such as kidney stones. As of Nov. 27, a total of 861 babies were still in the hospital.
The scandal led to the resignation of China's chief quality supervisor Li Changjiang. Several officials were sacked, arrests were made and the government is working on overhauling the country's dairy industry.
-- Chinese soldiers
Chinese soldiers have been labeled as a group that contributes the most while reaping the least.
December, naval vessels deployed to the coast of Somalia to escort merchant ships threatened by pirates.
Disaster response and security is what mainly occupied soldiers' time in 2008.
Official statistics show more than 130,000 soldiers, armed police and paramilitary personnel engaged in quake-relief work.
Before the Beijing Olympic Games, an anti-terrorist force of nearly 100,000 commandos, police and troops was put on high alert for attempted terrorist attacks. They also worked throughout the Games to provide security.
-- Migrant Workers
Farmers who travel to work in cities from rural areas have been a driving force behind China's fast-growing economy often working in construction, at factories, restaurants and serving as domestic servants and drivers.
For the first time in 2008, three migrant workers, Zhu Xueqin, Hu Xiaoyan and Kang Houming were elected as deputies in the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC).
They became the first representatives for the country's 210 million migrant laborers.
-- The first generation after the implementation of China's one-child policy
The first generation born after the implementation of China's one-child policy in 1978 began to turn 30 this year.
Better education and increased material wealth made them more worldly and open-minded than previous generations.
To some extent, they represent the emerging China with an optimistic, confident and open outlook.
However, some wonder whether their "self-centered qualities," such as obsessions with icons and hyper-consumerism can bolster the country's future.