For China, 2008 started with a winter storm that disrupted journeys as people returned home to their families, halting transportation and paralyzing the electricity network.

2008 started with a winter storm that disrupted journeys as people returned home to their families, halting transportation and paralyzing the electricity network.

But this was not the end of disasters. Just months later, the whole nation was shaken by a devastating earthquake in May in Sichuan Province. The catastrophe killed nearly 70-thousand people and led to direct economic losses of over 845-billion yuan.

But the world witnessed China's strengths through its relief efforts.