The Beijing-based Economic Observer marked its 12th anniversary last week with an editorial looking back over its history:
This of course isn’t just one media outlet’s personal history. We’re in a period of transition. The reality of China’s reform is that there are ups and downs and countless missteps. And the hardest part of reform is breaking old patterns, because no one is willing to give up their vested interests.
[…] In the past, many reforms have been unsuccessful because reformers romanticized them. They thought that with courage and planning, complex reforms could be carried out relatively quickly.
There are many people who call for reform and discuss policies, but there are very few who dare take responsibility, suffer and bear the trials involved in the reform process.
There’s nothing romantic about reform. It’s like dripping water wearing down stone. It takes long-term persistence and the tenacity to never give up, even when it seems like a hopeless cause.
A media outlet that’s willing to take responsibility will certainly share the same fate and breathe the same air as the era it lives in. We always believe that this is the era that can decide the future. All the dreams that China has for the future depend on what you and I do today.
