Past and present: 40 years of change in the lives of the Chinese people (7)

The upper part of this combo photo taken on Feb. 10, 1997 shows 69-year-old Xue Meixiang preparing meal at a cave dwelling where her family lived in for over 40 years in Zhengcun Village of Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. At that time, they used kerosene lamps and slept on brick beds. The lower part of the combo photo taken by Cao Yang on Nov. 20, 2018 shows 90-year-old Xue preparing fruits at her new apartment in a residential building in Taiyuan. The family two years ago moved to the new residence where not only modern home appliances are available but also they have heating system for winter. (Xinhua)