indeed, this is not going to be an easy choice. i would love to work in such big cities as beijing or shanghai or shenzhen. i would also love to return to my hometown, which is intimate, though slightly lagging in development. i would love to stay in the coastal area where life is exciting and fast-paced. i would also love to put down roots in central and western china, which is underdeveloped, but holds reat potential.
all of these sound good. but they are only possibilities. to those of us who are bewildered at the abundance of opportunities, i would like to say: to choose means to accept challenge.
to us young people, challenge often emerges in the form of competition. in the next century, competition will not only come from other college graduates, but also from people of all ages and of all origins.
with increasing international exchanges, we have to face growing competition from the whole outside world. this is calling for a higher level of our personal development.
fifteen years ago, the knowledge of a foreign language or of computer operation was considered merely an advantage. but today, with wider educational opportunities, this same knowledge has become essential to everyone.
given this situation, even our smallest choices will require great wisdom and personal determination.
as we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
as we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
nuclear power, for instance, may improve our quality of life. but it can also be used to damage the lives and possessions of millions.
economic development has enriched our lives but brought with it serious harm to our air, water and health.
to those of us who are blind to the consequences of their choices, i would like to say, to choose means to take responsibility. when we are making choices for ourselves, we cannot casually say: "it's just my own business. " as policy makers of the next century, we cannot fail to see our responsibility to those who share the earth with us.
the traditional chinese culture teaches us to study hard and work hard so as to honor our family. to me, however, this family is not just the five of us who quarreled over television programmes. rather, it is the whole of the human family. as i am making my choices, i will not forget the smile of my teacher when i correctly spelled out the word "china" for the first time, i will not forget the happy faces of the boys and girls we helped to send back to school in the mountains of jiangxi province. i will not forget the tearful eyes of women and children in bosnia, chechnya and somali, where millions are suffering from war, famine or poverty.
