China Daily Pictures of the year 2015: Triumphs, tragedies & life's little moments

Editor's note: Many images from 2015 flash through our minds as we ring in the New Year — President Xi Jinping riding in a golden horse-drawn carriage with the queen of Britain during his UK visit; soldiers from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression waving during the Victory Day parade on Sept 3 in Beijing; and China's first large passenger aircraft, the C919, rolling off the assembly line in Shanghai.

Beyond historical events are scenes from everyday life in China — enthusiastic entrepreneurs riding the tide of the Internet Plus era; investors hunting for wealth in the stock market's ups and downs; bikers blasting off ramps and splashing into a lake in summer; and drivers navigating colossal traffic jams.

These moments will live forever in our memories because they were frozen as photographs.

This is the fourth time China Daily has heralded the New Year with a photo spread reviewing the images its staff and freelancers have captured that were widely carried by major international media.

These compelling moments captured the collective imaginations of the world. We look forward to continue to tell China's story through words and pictures in 2016.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Britain's Queen Elizabeth are driven by carriage along The Mall to Buckingham Palace in London, October 20, 2015. President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will be the guests of Queen Elizabeth during their state visit to Britain. [Wu Zhiyi / China Daily]