Editor's note: With a mixture of joy and sorrow, 2015 is drawing to a close. We have gathered some of this year's touching and newsworthy China stories for a look back at the year. We hope that these inspiring tales about ordinary individuals give you warmth, strength and courage whenever you meet a challenge or any time you feel disappointed or frustrated in the coming year. May these memories shared by us all in 2015 enlighten everyone's future. We're always here applauding your every step forward.

Texan family welcomes a special girl from China

Audrey and Brent Shook (right) and their children welcome Lucy (center), a six-year-old Chinese orphan with Down's syndrome, on Monday at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. [Provided to China Daily]

Lucy, six, who has Down's syndrome and has spent her life in a Chinese orphanage, was greeted by her new parents when she arrived in Houston. Audrey and her husband Brent, who have five biological children, had always intended to adopt from China. When they first saw a video taken by an adoption agency of Lucy singing and playing, they fell in love with her. "Hi! Hi! I'm momma," said Audrey, and in a heart-warming moment Lucy (left) repeated the word "momma" back to her, creating an instant bond between the two at the end of a long journey.

Firefighters: Steady presence at Tianjin blast site

Firefighters at the Tianjin blast site. [Photo/Xinhua]

"If we don't rush to the scene, who will?" the Guangzhou Daily highlighted a firefighter as saying. More than 1,020 firefighters risked their own lives to bring the fire at Tianjin blast site under control, a dedication that touched the whole country. Many stories about them spread widely, like a firefighter who sent a WeChat message to his colleague before starting his mission to Tanggu: "If I don't come back safely, please take care of my father and treat him like your own family." Many readers expressed their sympathies and prayed for them.

Doctor comforting two-year-old girl before her surgery melts hearts

A screenshot of the video of a doctor comforting the two-year-old girl patient before the surgery. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A video of a doctor comforting his two-year-old patient like she was his own daughter went viral with Internet users proclaiming him a real-life "Baymax", a superhero in Marvel comics

The two-year-old had been crying in the surgery room of a Zhejiang hospital without her parents there to make her feel better. Shi Zhuo, the little girl's surgeon, took the initiative and went over to try to calm her down by showing her funny videos on his smartphone.

A journey through war veteran's memories

The veteran who had participated in the Anti-Japanese War holds the gun which was used to aim at Japanese soldiers. [Photo/IC]

In order to record the 70th anniversary of Anti-Japanese War and keep intact the valuable memories of veterans, most of whom live in the mountain areas of Hubei Province, a reporter spent over a year from April 2014 to August 2015 with them. To try to refresh their memories, the reporter even carried the models of guns the veterans used during the war. BaiChuanzhi, who is 88 years old, joined the army when he was 15, and once worked as signalman.

China's Five-Year Plan popularized by bizarre cartoon

'It's China huge' says an animated music video of the country's five-year plan for the future. [Photo/Screenshot from the video]

Hey have you guys heard about what's going on in China? / President Xi Jinping's new style? / Yes! And there's more! / The Shi San Wu!

Chinese State-owned news agency Xinhua posted a chirpy English-language theme song ahead of the 13th Five Year Plan on October 27, 2015. The video went viral on social media in China and abroad.

The three-and-a-half-minute music video, with hundreds of animated cartoon characters, a "psychedelic" melody, and rhyming lyrics, describes the outline and importance of the plan.

A five-year-old hidden love letter

An Internet user kiyoumi posted an old hand-written love letter on Weibo, arousing other netizens' curiosity and interest. [Photo/Weibo]

A student wrote a love letter to a girl called Meijia but chose not to disclose his feelings and hid his pure and innocent love in his desk. This act brought back many Internet users' memories of first love. "Loving and caring about you without bothering you may be the best way to be your guardian angel," said the letter.