Past and present: 40 years of change in the lives of the Chinese people (8)

The upper part of this combo photo taken in 1982 shows Yan Hongchang (C rear) and his son Yan Yushan (1st L) posing for a group photo in front of their thatched dwelling at Xiaogang Village, the birthplace of China's rural reform, in east China's Anhui Province. Yan Hongchang was among the first 18 farmers to sign the secret agreement to divide communally owned farmland into family plots in 1978. At that time, Xiaogang villagers all lived in thatched houses. The lower part of the combo photo taken by Liu Junxi on Nov. 28, 2018 shows Yan Hongchang (6th L) and his son (4th L) posing for a group photo in front of their residential building in Xiaogang Village. As the villagers become rich, much better houses were built in the village. (Xinhua)