Individuals behind China

October 1st marks the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Radio86 rang up three distinguished officials from three North European foreign ministries to hear what they had to say about China's progress over the last six decades.

Zhang Yin has a reputation for wanting to keep out of the spotlight. As an entrepreneur, she doesn't see the need to put herself in the public eye. She couldn't help but grab headlines, though, when in 2006, Huron Report named her China's richest person.

Empress Dowager Cixi played an important part in China's political history. Contrary to Qing imperial tradition, which forbade women and Princes from engaging in politics, she became the only Empress of the Qing dynasty to rule “behind the curtains.”

Xi Jinping's fortunes have changed. From being sent to be re-educated during the Cultural Revolution, he has become the frontrunner to replace Hu Jintao as China's president in 2012.

The 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China will fall on October 1. Beijing correspondent Thomas Rippe tells us about the preparations being made for this grand event and about the feelings and thoughts it provokes in the minds of the Chinese.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese reformists debated whether it was necessary to overthrow the imperial government to bring about a new order of things in the nation. One of the key figures of the movement to bring down the Qing Dynasty was Sun Yat-sen, whom many consider to be the father of modern China.

The Revolution of 1911 sounded the death knell of China's 2000-year-old imperial regime. However, the revolutionaries who established the Chinese republic were not able to oust the emperor and eventually this task fell on Yuan Shikai.

100,000 road deaths a year make China's roads the most dangerous in the world. Ann Yuan, coordinator for the Global Road Safety Initiative in Beijing, tells us about the challenges of managing China's growing fleet of cars.

Huang Youyi is the vice chairman and secretary-general of the Translators' Association of China and the vice president of the International Federation of Translators. During his recent visit to Finland, Huang talked about the challenges faced by the translation industry globally.

79-year-old He Zhenliang is one of the most highly regarded dignitaries in China, and quite certainly the most influential Chinese Olympic personality of his time, a status also reflected in his nickname “China's Mr. Olympics.” This seasoned veteran of the Olympic movement has something to be especially happy about this year, as China plays host to the world's single biggest sporting event.