Bringing you the news on all platforms What is it with pandas?

No editor seems to be able to resist the temptation of carrying a story; and the cute creatures have long been a staple of global media.

No wonder then that the front page of the inaugural issue of China Daily prominently carried the story of Chia-Chia returning from Washington Zoo to his home in London Zoo after failing to stir the romantic interest of Hsing-Hsing in the US capital.

But, of course, it wasn't just for panda coverage that China Daily was launched on June 1, 1981.

It was meant to open up a country which until then was closed to the world -- and tell the story in English.

Today, anyone anywhere in the world can read China Daily in print or on a whole range of new media platforms. It is the most quoted source of news, comment and opinion on China as it informs readers of developments in the world's second-largest economy.

Back then, a growing stream of tourists, businesspeople, consultants and "foreign experts" making their way to the country found themselves almost isolated from the outside world - and didn't know much of what was happening in the country, either.

In today's plugged-in world, it might be difficult to comprehend that news in English was then at such a premium.

The reason for starting the paper might have been prosaic: keeping foreigners in China apprised of news in the country and around the world.

But soon, our mission was clear: Going beyond mere information to presenting and explaining China to the world - and vice versa.

Design was blessed with fortuity when the birth of the paper coincided with reform and opening up - which perhaps resulted in the biggest economic and social transformation in history.

We have not looked back since.

What started as an eight-page broadsheet - in itself bucking the trend of the then four-page Chinese newspapers, and using bigger pictures - is now a multimedia platform with a 24-page flagship newspaper.

The journey has been eventful with continuous growth the constant. Along the way, we added more offerings such as the 21st Century stable of publications catering to young Chinese learning English.

We now have editions in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

And we were pioneers in embracing technology as well as the first newspaper in the country to go online.

We are proud to have more than 500 foreign and Chinese reporters and editors spread over the headquarters in Beijing, 35 bureaus across China and 18 overseas bureaus in major cities including New York, London, Paris and Brussels. We have 14 printing sites on the Chinese mainland and 34 overseas.

Today, we have a global print circulation of 900,000 and more than 40 million followers online. Our China Watch, published by leading newspapers including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Daily Telegraph, has a circulation of 4 million. It is also published in German, French and Spanish and the aim is to have editions in all the six working languages of the United Nations.

On social media, we have 22 million followers on microblogging site Weibo, 6 million downloads on Apple and Android, and more than 5 million followers on Facebook.

We have been the official publication for major events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai Expo and the 2014 APEC meeting in Beijing; and we are covering in detail the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou.

China Daily is a member of Asia News Network, which comprises 21 major English newspapers from 19 countries or regions. ANN aims to challenge the domination of Western media so that Asian news is covered by Asian media.

In the process, we have made China much more accessible to the rest of the world - facts and foibles, warts and all. We lend context and perspective, and explain how the big stories impact China and the world. In particular, we take pride in presenting balanced and nuanced coverage of national and international news.

Today, as we mark our 35th anniversary, we reflect on the three-and-half decades in this commemorative issue.

The theme is simple: 10 issues which have had the most bearing on the changing face of China. Senior colleagues in the paper provide personal insights into the topics.

All of this, of course, would not have been possible without you, the reader. You have been unstinting in your support, and liberal with your criticism. We welcome your response and thank you for it.

I thank my colleagues, past and present - from the pioneers who braved the odds to give shape to the paper to those who have contributed, in ways big and small, to help it thrive.

On a personal note, I feel particularly proud for I started as a rookie reporter soon after the launch and have seen it grow to what it is today.

And we continue to cover pandas.

(China Daily 05/30/2016 page1)