I first discovered China Daily a few years ago. It was my first visit to China, and I was waiting for my tour guide to arrive. I sat down in the lobby of the St. Regis, Beijing, and picked up an English-written newspaper with the title (in its famous capital white and blue letters) CHINA DAILY.

I opened the newspaper, and from that day on, in every hotel I visited, when the staff asked me, "Would you like a newspaper delivered to your room?", I would always answer, "Do you have China Daily?" And if they said no, there would be no newspaper in my room the next morning.

Why had I immediately taken a liking to China Daily after just one reading of it? I think that China Daily is a very influential newspaper for many reasons.

First of all, China Daily writes about both Western and Chinese culture, so both sides of the world can learn something about their cultural traditions. An example to support this reason, is an article I read just the other day: When the Bard met his Chinese Match. This article is about how both China and the UK will honor their most famous playwrights with a series of events this year. The playwrights are, William Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu. Both the wonderful playwrights died in 1616, and China Daily wrote an article about the events to honor these writers this year. The newspaper managed to compare two influential playwrights from China and the UK.

Second of all, China Daily writes not only about culture, of course, but also about economic and political matters. For example, yesterday on my WeChat China Daily (you can subscribe to their official account), I read that a Chinese gay couple lost a same-sex marriage case. China Daily wrote about the case, the laws in China regarding same-sex relations, and more regarding this matter. China Daily is able to write about all kinds of topics with their talented writers.

Third of all, one of my favorite things about China Daily is that there are always articles that are made up of simply photos and captions of China and its special areas. For example, I recently read (also on WeChat): Photos | Time-tripping steam train is SW China. This article was made up of breathtaking photos of a steam train using the same steam engines as used in the 1950s. The pictures were quite heartbreaking as you saw the quality of the old steam trains, and many locals from small villages boarding this steam train. China Daily is able to show a contrast between the modernization and rural areas of China, as shown here:

Another example of one article with photos and captions is, Photos | Discover Beautiful China in Spring Blossom. This article was made up of simply gorgeous photos of China during spring.

There are many more types of great articles in China Daily including forums, news, and more.

There was an article about China Daily 35 years on: your memories in my China Daily WeChat version as well, with information about how to participate and the requirements. Interested in what people from all over the world had to say about China Daily and this writing competition, I was reading the comments below to see what people loved about China Daily. I saw the comment, "China Daily always helps improve my English level. Thank you China Daily!" Someone else wrote, "It is a great opportunity to express our views and share ideas with followers." China Daily influences so many people in so many ways!

Thank you China Daily, for changing my view on Chinese culture, beauty, and China forever! You taught me and showed me so much. Thank you for everything China Daily, and I can't wait for the years to come that China Daily will grow!