I am from Sri Lanka, a country that was under the British empire for 150 years and we have English everywhere in our homeland. When I came to China five years ago, everything around me was in Chinese. My eyes were tired of seeing the complex letters around me; however I saw an English newspaper in our dormitory reception area and it was a cool experience for me. It was China Daily. I turned several pages and suddenly found an English window into this unknown and to-be-explored nation. It was the beginning of my friendship with China Daily.

And gradually I got to know that China Daily has a web portal and also a blog section, which allows us to contribute our ideas. I started writing blogs on it and slowly built a group of readers who keep in touch with me on WeChat and via private message on the platform. It does not imply that I did not encounter unfriendly comments and messages. A few guys threw me bad comments and messages. However, I did not respond to them at all. Anyway, collectively it is very pleasant experience, every minute I spend on this newspaper and also website is interesting. I visit the website everyday and occasionally read the newspaper from the dormitory office, when I go there.

China Daily is like a friend who stays with me in every mood in my life. If I am happy, I can write a blog and if I am upset, I can enjoy what others have said and let my feelings go away. I have read other bloggers’articles on the 35th anniversary. They also expressed their strong attachment to the paper. Perhaps this looks odd for a stranger, however, people who read and stay in touch with China daily Daily know better. We all love China Daily and we stay in touch every day.

Good Luck my friend. It is 35 years. You are a big man now.

The original blog is at: http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-1457555-35597.html