Profile: Xi Jinping: Man of the people, statesman of vision
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| File photo taken in December 2012 shows Xi Jinping has a lunch with soldiers during his inspection to the Guangzhou Military Region in south China. (Xinhua) |
BEIJING,
Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- It was a pleasant early December morning in a
verdant park in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province. Early
risers, carrying on their usual morning exercise, did not expect to see a
big name.
The park was not cordoned. There was no red carpet nor were there people waving welcoming banners.
A
middle-aged man in a dark suit, and a tieless white shirt, laid a
wreath at the park's statue of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.
Then he walked into the surrounding crowd and began a casual chat.
The visitor was Xi Jinping, the newly elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
During
his visit to Guangdong, Xi called on the entire Party and people from
all ethnic groups to unswervingly adhere to the path of reform and
opening up and put greater focus on pursuing reform in a more
systematic, integrated and coordinated way. Xi vowed no stop in reform,
and no stop in opening up.
In
his first visit outside Beijing as the top CPC leader, Xi went to
Guangdong, the forefront of China's reform and opening up, following the
route Deng had toured 20 years ago when the country was at a crossroad.
Media
reports remarked that Xi is a leader who brings a fresh breeze to the
country's political life, unswervingly pushes forward reform and opening
up, and is beginning to lead the Chinese nation in realizing the China
Dream.
Xi,
59, who was elected to his new role at the first plenum of the 18th CPC
Central Committee on Nov. 15, is the first top Party leader born after
1949, the year the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded.
He
now leads the 91-year-old CPC, the world largest political party with
more than 82 million members, as it rules China, the world's second
largest economy.
The whole country and the world are putting their eyes on Xi:
-- What will he do to lead the CPC to better serve the people?
--
What will he do to lead China's 1.3 billion people to build a
moderately prosperous society in all respects by the 100th anniversary
of the founding of the CPC in 2021? Furthermore, what will he do to lead
the people to achieve the goal of building an affluent, strong,
democratic, civilized and harmonious modern socialist country by the
time the PRC marks its centennial in 2049?
-- What will he do to lead the country to make its due contribution to world peace and development?
As
he met the press on the November day the new leadership was formed, Xi
summed up the CPC's mission as comprising three responsibilities -- to
the nation, the people and the Party.
ADVOCATE OF CHINA DREAM
"The
people's longing for a good life is what we are fighting for," Xi said
in his first public speech as general secretary on Nov. 15.
Shortly
after taking office, Xi and the other six members of the Standing
Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visited
the exhibition "The Road Toward Renewal" at the National Museum of
China. The comprehensive display illustrates the huge challenges China
has surmounted on the road to national revival since 1840.
"Nowadays,
everyone is talking about the China Dream," he said. "In my view,
realizing the great renewal of the Chinese nation is the Chinese
nation's greatest dream in modern history."
To achieve this sacred goal, Xi has clarified his positions on various aspects of the country's development:
On
the country's economic development, Xi opposes a blind focus on growth
and upholds the principle of scientific development, which seeks
sustainability in terms of both resources and the environment.
On
political development, he stresses the idea that all power belongs to
the people, and calls for active and steady political reform while
adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He also
stresses the rule of law and exercising state power according to the
Constitution.
On
cultural development, he highlights developing human talent and
fostering a Chinese national spirit, especially as typified by the words
of the national anthem: "We will use our flesh and blood to build our
new Great Wall."
On
social development, he proposes continuous efforts to safeguard and
improve people's lives through economic development. He also supports
building a harmonious society and realizing a good life for the people
based on hard work, while taking into consideration the country's
practical circumstances.
On
ecological progress, he emphasizes a national strategy of resource
conservation and environmental protection and a sustainable pattern of
development.
From
the Loess Plateau to the southeast coast, from localities to the
central leadership, Xi has had a well-rounded political career and has
developed a deep understanding of the conditions of his country and
people.
In
2007, he was promoted to the nine-member Standing Committee of the
Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee, after working for
decades in various locations, including Shanghai Municipality, the
provinces of Shaanxi, Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang, as well as serving the
army.
He
served concurrently as a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central
Committee and as president of the Party School of the CPC Central
Committee. In 2008, he was elected the country's vice president.
Over
the past five years, he has participated in the creation of major
policies for the Party and the country, and has gained rich leadership
experience in all respects.
During
that time, Xi was in charge of Party affairs and attached great
importance to Party building. He reiterated that the Party must police
itself with strict standards as well as listen to the call of ordinary
people.
Beginning
in 2008, he worked intensively on the campaign to study and implement
the Scientific Outlook on Development. The year-and-a-half campaign
further made the Scientific Outlook on Development a consensus of the
whole Party and country, and a driving force for economic and social
development.
He
also led a group of officials in drafting the 17th CPC Central
Committee's report to the 18th CPC National Congress and the amendment
to the CPC Constitution, which were adopted at the congress and have
become important guidelines for China's future.
Xi
has had a connection with the armed forces since his early days. After
graduating from university, he worked at the General Office of the
Central Military Commission (CMC) for three years, a job that deepened
his affection for the army.
In
the following years, he served concurrently as Party chief for military
subareas in addition to holding his Party and government titles. He was
familiarized with grassroots military affairs.
He
became CMC vice chairman in 2010 and was named CMC chairman at the
first plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2012.
Xi
is also familiar with work related to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. His
17 years in Fujian gave him a deep understanding of Taiwan and
enterprises from Taiwan. The first Taiwan chamber of commerce on the
mainland was established in Xiamen when he worked in Fujian. He solved
many problems for Taiwan compatriots, and has been seen as a good friend
by many of them.
As
a top leader in charge of Hong Kong and Macao affairs, Xi helped work
out a number of important policies on the long-term stability and
prosperity of the two special administrative regions.
In
2008 and 2009 when Hong Kong and Macao were seriously hit by the
international financial crisis, Xi visited the cities to show his
support.
In
2008, Xi was also tasked with heading up preparations for the
much-anticipated 2008 Olympic Games and the subsequent Paralympics, both
in Beijing, playing a key role in China's hosting of these
high-standard events with distinctive features.
MAN OF THE PEOPLE
Xi
has expressed his deep feelings for the people on many occasions,
saying for example, "How important the people are in the minds of an
official will determine how important officials are in the minds of the
people." His love of the people stems from his unique upbringing.
A son of Xi Zhongxun, a Communist revolutionary and former vice premier, Xi Jinping did not live in comfort as a boy.
Beginning
in 1962, when his father was wronged and fell in disgrace, Xi
experienced tough times. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), he
suffered public humiliation and hunger, experienced homelessness and was
even held in custody once.
At the age of 16, he volunteered to live in a small village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province as an "educated youth."
That area, part of the Loess Plateau, was where the Communist revolutionaries, including his father, rose to found New China.
Life
there was tough for an urban youth. In the beginning, fleas troubled
him so badly he could not even fall asleep. In the Shaanxi countryside,
he had to do all sorts of harsh labor, such as carrying manure, hauling a
coal cart, farming and building water tanks.
As
time passed, tough work became easy. Xi became a hardworking capable
young man in the villagers' eyes. By gaining their trust, he was elected
village Party chief.
He
led the farmers to reinforce the river bank in a bid to prevent
erosion, organized a small cooperative of blacksmiths in the village,
and built a methane tank, the first in landlocked Shaanxi.
He
was once awarded a motorized tricycle after being named a "model
educated youth." However, he exchanged the tricycle for a walking
tractor, a flour milling machine and farm tools to benefit the
villagers.
Although
he was not in school, Xi never stopped reading. He brought a case of
books to the village and was always "reading books as thick as bricks,"
recalled by villagers of Liangjiahe.
He
formed close ties with the villagers during his seven years in the
province. After he was recommended for enrollment at Tsinghua University
in 1975, all the villagers queued to bid him farewell and a dozen young
men walked more than 30 kilometers to take him to the county seat for
his trip back to Beijing.
Xi
has never forgotten the folks in the Shaanxi village. Even after he
left, he helped the village get access to power, build a bridge and
renovate a primary school. When he was Party chief of Fuzhou City, he
returned to the village, going door by door to visit people. He gave
senior villagers pocket money, and schoolchildren with new schoolbags,
school supplies and alarm clocks. When a farmer friend got sick, Xi,
then a senior provincial official of Fujian, at his own expense, brought
him to Fujian for better medical treatment.
Years
of toiling alongside villagers allowed him to get to know the
countryside and farmers well. Xi has said that the two groups of people
who have given him the greatest help in his life are the older
revolutionary generation and the folks in the Shaanxi village where he
lived.
He arrived in the village as a slightly lost teenager and left as a 22-year-old man determined to do something for the people.
Xi's
affection for the common people influenced him as he made a number of
critical decisions. In the 1980s when many of his contemporaries were
going into business or leaving to study abroad, Xi gave up a comfortable
office job in Beijing and went to work as deputy Party chief of a small
county in north China's Hebei Province. Later he became Party chief of
Ningde Prefecture in southeast China's Fujian Province, one of the
poorest regions at the time.
The people weigh most in Xi's heart and grassroots units are where he pays most visits.
In
Ningde, he sometimes traveled for days on the mountain roads to reach
the farthest corner of the prefecture. The roads were so bumpy that he
often had to take a break to recover from back pain before arriving at
destinations. He once walked nearly five hours on a rugged mountain road
to get to a township called Xiadang, which was not accessible by
highway, and received the most passionate welcome from local residents,
who said Xi was "the highest-ranking official who has come to the
village."
He
also helped thousands of farmers in Ningde renovate dilapidated
thatched huts and guided fishermen to live better lives on the land.
When
working as Party chief of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, he took the lead
in the country in establishing a mechanism for officials to meet with
petitioners face to face. He introduced the same mechanism in places
where he later served.
Once, he and other senior officials in Fuzhou met with more than 700 petitioners in two days.
While
working in east China's Zhejiang Province, he went down into a coal
mine nearly 1,000 meters underground and walked more than 1,500 meters
along a narrow and inclined shaft to visit miners and see their working
conditions before the Spring Festival in 2005.
Xi
attaches importance to communication with the people via news media. He
wrote a popular column for the Zhejiang Daily, using the pen name
Zhexin. In his 232 columns, he discussed everyday problems of interest
to the common people.
As
mild a person as Xi is, he is very tough in policing officials and
preventing them from harming the interests of the common people. In an
investigation into illegal housing construction by officials in Ningde,
he grew angry and pounded the table, saying, "Shall we offend hundreds
of officials, or shall we fail millions of people?" Also, a number of
officials in Zhejiang were punished during his tenure of leadership for
failing to fulfill their duties.
His work style earned him the nickname "secretary of the people."
"Officials
should love the people in the way they love their parents, work for
their benefit and lead them to prosperity," Xi said.
LEADER WITH FORESIGHT
On
several recent occasions, Xi showed a strong sense of responsibility
towards the future of the nation and declared his determination to push
forward reform and opening up.
Throughout
his political career, people have seen his foresight and resolve as
well as his willingness to sacrifice personal gain and one-time fame for
a bigger cause.
When
working in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian, he took charge of drafting
a development plan for the city from 1985 to 2000 and lobbied for
preferential policies from the central government, both of which
benefited the city long after he left the province.
When
working in Zhengding, Hebei Province, he saw potential business
opportunities when he learned that the crew of "The Dream of Red
Mansions," a popular novel-turned-TV drama, was looking for a filming
location.
He
then proposed building in Zhengding a large residential compound
featured within the novel. The compound, which was used by the TV crew,
later became a tourist attraction. Tourist income from the compound
exceeded 10 million yuan the year it was completed, paying back more
than the investment. The compound has been used as the set for more than
170 movies and TV dramas, with up to 1.3 million tourists every year.
In
Fuzhou, after intense deliberation and discussion, he and his
colleagues devised a strategic development plan for the city for the
coming three, eight and 20 years. All the main targets set by the plan
were achieved years ago, and a number of enterprises that were set up or
brought to Fuzhou when Xi served there remain the industry leaders,
playing a significant role in the city's development over the past two
decades.
Working as Fujian governor, he was the first in the country to launch a campaign to crack down on food contamination.
In
1999, he first put forward the idea of improving IT infrastructure and
introducing information technology to help the public. Fujian had been
the only province in China where all hospitals were linked by computer
networks and shared digital medical records by 2010.
In 2002, Fujian launched the reform of the collective forest property right system, becoming the first in the country.
During
Xi's tenure, Fujian was among the first provinces in China to adopt
special policies to restore ecological balance and protect the
environment. This has made Fujian the province with the best water and
air quality as well as the best ecology and environment in the country.
After
his transfer to Zhejiang Province in 2002, Xi put forward numerous
development targets for the economy, public security, culture, the
environment and the rule of law.
He
initiated local industrial restructuring, transforming the province's
extensive, less-efficient growth pattern, and encouraged quality
enterprises from outside the province to invest in Zhejiang.
In
addition, he proposed a development mode that would give equal weight
to both manufacturing and commerce, a mode based on Zhejiang's own
conditions. He also supported enterprises' efforts to expand overseas
and supported start-ups by ordinary citizens.
At
the same time, he encouraged more cooperation among Zhejiang,
neighboring Shanghai Municipality and Jiangsu Province in order to tap
their potential as an integrated economic powerhouse.
In
2004, under Xi's leadership, Zhejiang made an attempt to improve
grassroots democracy. Villages there set up residents' committees to
supervise the village Party committee and administrative committee on
public affairs, a move that received a positive response from the
public.
Village
supervision committees, which sprang from the Zhejiang model, were
later introduced in an amendment to the Organic Law of Villagers'
Committees in 2010 by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing
Committee, the top Chinese legislature.
Shanghai
was Xi's last local post before he was promoted to the central
leadership. Despite a relatively short term in the country's financial
hub, he left his mark by promoting the economic integration of the
Yangtze River Delta and enhancing Shanghai's leading role in the region.
Xi
added "enlightened, sagacious, open-minded and modest" to the official
wording of the Shanghai Spirit slogan, which previously had just read
"inclusive and sublime." The Shanghai Spirit was intended to capture the
essence of the city. Media in Shanghai remarked that these emendations
helped present Shanghai to the rest of the world in a deeper, more
thoughtful way. These changes were also noticed by people outside
Shanghai.
BEING IN FRONT RANKS REQUIRES SOLID WORK
"Making
empty talk is harmful to the nation, while doing practical work can
help it thrive," Xi said during a visit to "The Road Toward Renewal"
exhibition in Beijing on the 15th day after his election as the CPC's
new helmsman.
To
put "practical work" in place, Xi presided over a meeting of the
Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee that adopted eight
measures to improve Party work style and tighten the bond with the
people. The measures include more meetings with the people, traveling
light with a small entourage and using fewer traffic controls,
shortening meetings and speeches. The new measures have earned acclaim
both at home and abroad.
"Only
solid work ensures that one will take the lead," Xi has said. He has
demanded concrete effort to tackle issues the people care about most. He
believes that without implementation, the best blueprint will be
nothing more than a castle in the air.
When
he served in Zhengding County, Xi said that developing human resources
was the key to shaking off poverty and backwardness in the county. He
attended to the job himself by inviting professionals to the county and
drawing up recruitment advertisements for talented personnel from across
the country.
In
the winter of 1983, he traveled to the provincial capital of
Shijiazhuang to invite a cosmetics expert to work in Zhengding. Without a
detailed address for the expert, he went door to door asking where the
expert lived and finally found him at night after yelling his name near
his home. Xi and the expert talked until midnight and Xi finally
persuaded the man to work in Zhengding. The expert later created more
than 300,000 yuan in revenue for the county within the first year.
In
the same year, Xi decided to publish nine ways for recruiting talented
personnel, something that was rare at the time and became a front-page
story in the Hebei Daily. He wrote more than 100 letters to experts and
scholars, as well as colleges and research institutions, and paid visits
to dozens of experts. Within two years, Zhengding attracted 683
talented personnel and hired 53 well-known experts as economic
counselors.
Xi,
together with his colleague Lu Yulan, then deputy Party chief of
Zhengding, despite heavy pressure, told superior authorities about the
excessive burden faced by the county due to compulsory grain purchases.
The issue was eventually resolved.
In
Ningde, Xi was also practical and realistic. He pooled resources to
implement aquaculture of the large yellow croaker, a local specialty,
and greatly increased the income of local farmers.
He
also ordered Party and government offices to make things convenient for
the people. When serving in Fuzhou, he advocated the principle of
"special procedures for special issues, and do things now" to make the
government more efficient. This principle was attractive to numerous
Taiwan enterprises and helped boost the local economy. He also proposed
the compilation of two handbooks on government procedures for residents
and overseas businesspeople.
In
2000, Xi initiated a move across Fujian to make the government more
efficient. He proposed changes in government functions and procedures to
reduce the number of matters that require government approval. By the
end of 2001, the number was reduced by 40.4 percent, or 606 items.
In 2001, Fujian became the first province in China to enact a policy making government affairs public.
In
August 2002, Xi published an article on a major newspaper on "The
Experience of Jinjiang," which emphasized the importance of the private
economy in the development of the county. Also in 2002, he published an
article on Nanping City's effort to send officials to work in villages.
The practice of Nanping was later introduced all over the province, thus
enhancing ties between officials and farmers and making officials more
oriented towards grassroots achievement.
In
Zhejiang, Xi stressed provincial development in the fields of public
security, the environment, culture, the rule of law and the marine
economy.
To
achieve these goals, he made an individual case study in addition to
making overall arrangements. In order to know how the localities were
affected by provincial policies, he went five times to a less-developed
mountain village called Xiajiang within less than two years.
He
paid special attention to the marine economy. In December 2002, he put
forward the goal of building Zhejiang into a province with a strong
marine economy, followed by guidelines and plans to realize this goal.
The marine economy in Zhejiang has since developed quickly, with annual
growth of 19.3 percent. It accounted for nearly 8 percent of the
Zhejiang economy in 2005.
He
pushed for the integration of Ningbo and Zhoushan harbors. In 2006,
Ningbo-Zhoushan harbor had 420 million tonnes of cargo throughput,
ranking the second in China and among the world's top three.
He
also pushed for the construction of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, an icon of
cross-sea bridges in China and once the world's longest cross-sea
bridge.
In
2003, Xi proposed that rural communities should be more like urban
communities, and efforts should be made to reduce the urban-rural gap in
quality of life.
Zhejiang
had realized the development targets one by one during Xi's tenure. The
province had the highest rating in ecology and the environment among
all provincial-level regions in 2005. In 2006, 94.77 percent of the
people were satisfied with the province's public security, making
Zhejiang one of the safest provinces in the country.
When
Xi was in Zhejiang, the province's GDP exceeded 1 trillion yuan in
2004, GDP per capita exceeded 3,000 U.S. dollars in 2005 and stood at
nearly 4,000 U.S. dollars in 2006. The province ranked the fourth in
sustainable development in 2006, next to Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.
Furthermore, all the province's poverty-stricken counties and townships shook off poverty during the period.
In 2007, Xi was appointed secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee.
Within
a month of his appointment, Xi conducted research on the people's
livelihood, development, the Shanghai World Expo, and the fight against
corruption. The ninth Shanghai municipal congress of the CPC was
successfully held, which invigorated local officials, rebuilt Shanghai's
image and set forth a blueprint for Shanghai for the next five years.
Xi
has said that a county Party chief should visit all the villages within
the county, a city Party chief all the townships and a provincial Party
chief all the counties and cities.
He
visited all the villages in Zhengding. In Ningde, he visited nine
counties within the first three months, and traveled to most townships
later on. After he was transferred to Zhejiang in 2002, he visited all
90 counties in just over a year. During his tenure in Shanghai, he
visited all 19 districts and counties in seven months. After he came to
work in the central authority, he visited all the 31 provinces, regions
and municipalities on the mainland.
STATESMAN AIMING FOR BETTER EARTH
During
a recent meeting with foreign experts working in China, Xi said that
China, as a responsible country, will not only manage its own affairs,
but also properly handle its relations with the rest of the world, so as
to foster a more favorable external environment and make a greater
contribution to world peace and development.
"China
needs to know more about the world, and the world also needs to know
more about China," Xi said. Whether working at the local level or in the
central leadership, Xi attaches great importance to international
exchange and making foreign friends. He has taken every opportunity to
meet foreign guests visiting China.
Within
the past five years, he traveled to more than 40 countries and regions
across five continents and has had extensive contact with people from
all walks of life. He frankly and honestly introduces to foreign friends
how the Chinese people view their own country and the world, and is
always willing to listen to them as well. In the eyes of many foreign
dignitaries, Xi is a confident, sagacious and amicable leader.
He
often tells foreign friends that the international community has
increasingly become an integrated one with a common destiny. China's
continuous rapid development depends on world peace and development. It
also provides opportunity and room for other countries, so together they
may achieve win-win results and common development through mutual
respect and pragmatic cooperation.
At
a World Peace Forum organized by Tsinghua University in July 2012, Xi
noted that a country must let others develop as it seeks its own
development; must let others feel secure as it seeks its own security;
must let others live better when it wants to live better itself. In a
meeting with Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, Xi said not all strong countries
will seek hegemony. China will stick to the path of peaceful
development, a win-win strategy of opening up and the pledge of never
seeking hegemony, now or in any future generation.
Xi's
foreign visits have sent out signals that countries should work
together to establish a more equal and balanced global partnership, so
as to safeguard the common interests of all human beings and make Earth
better.
During
his five-day visit to the United States, Xi participated in 27 events
and engaged in exchange with U.S. politicians and the public alike. "As
long as the Chinese and U.S. sides grasp the thread of common interests,
they can explore a path of new partnership for major powers to live in
harmony, engage in positive interaction and achieve win-win
cooperation." His remarks elicited positive feedback from many in the
U.S.
In
a recent meeting with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Xi called for
more "positive energy" for the China-U.S. partnership.
During
his visit to Russia, Xi showed the strong importance China attaches to
developing bilateral relations. The Sino-Russian strategic partnership
of coordination has become the closest, most dynamic and most profound
between major powers, and developing relations with Russia is always a
priority of China's foreign relations. Xi attended the second meeting of
the dialogue mechanism between the Chinese and Russian ruling parties,
and had extensive and in-depth discussions with leaders of various
parties in Russia, further enriching Sino-Russia relations.
Xi
highly values relations with developing countries. He has said
consolidating and developing relations with developing countries is the
starting point and object of China's foreign policy.
In
South Africa, Xi attended the fourth plenary session of the China-South
Africa Binational Commission, looking forward, together with the South
African side, to a bright future of bilateral cooperation.
In
a speech delivered at a seminar marking the 10th anniversary of the
establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi
underscored China's friendship with Africa, emphasizing that "a friend
in need is a friend indeed."
In
Saudi Arabia, he said a more prosperous and open China will bring great
development opportunities to the Middle East and countries in the Gulf.
In
Chile, he proposed that China and Latin America should be good partners
in the fields of politics, economics, culture and international
affairs, when speaking of the relationship over the next decade.
Xi
has been pragmatic and efficient on the international stage. In the
course of only one day, while attending the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the unification of Italy, Xi exchanged ideas with leaders
from more than 20 countries and international organizations. During his
visit to Germany and four other European countries, Xi attended five
signing ceremonies for economic and trade agreements, six economic and
trade forums, and pushed for the signing of 93 cooperation agreements
involving a total of 7.4 billion U.S. dollars.
Xi
has also emphasized the role of cultural exchange in the building of a
harmonious world. When addressing the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2009, he
said that through exchanges between different cultures, people from
different countries have come to know Confucius from China, Goethe from
Germany and Shakespeare from Britain. Pushing forward world cultural
exchange creates important momentum for human progress and the world's
peaceful development.
During
his visit to Russia, he launched the "Year of Chinese Language" in
Russia, side by side with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. He said in his
address, "Culture is enriched, hearts are linked up, and friendship is
deepened through exchange."
Xi
is good at drawing wisdom from Chinese culture and presenting ideas
clearly in a straightforward and humorous way. During his U.S. visit, he
borrowed a line from the theme song of the popular Chinese TV drama
"Monkey King" to ease the gravity of the bilateral issue. "The road is
right under our feet," he said when describing the "unprecedented"
relations between China and the U.S., displaying the confidence and
courage of Chinese leaders.
When
facing questions about China's human rights situation, he said there is
"no best, only better." Xi said every country's condition is different
and path is different. "Whether the shoe fits or not, only the wearer of
the shoe knows."
Amity
between people is the key to sound relations between states. Xi has
said the level of state-to-state friendship depends on amity between
people. He has humorously said to foreign ministry officials on
diplomatic trips that life lies in motion and diplomacy lies in
activity. In other words, diplomats should travel widely and make
friends broadly and deeply.
During
his visit to Laos, he specially arranged a meeting with children of the
late Lao leader Quinim Pholsena. Xi joined several children of
Pholsena, who had lived and studied in Beijing, in recalling their days
at Beijing's Bayi School. He even remembered the nickname "Chubby Boy"
for Pholsena's second son.
During
his U.S. visit, Xi traveled to Iowa to join a dozen of his old
acquaintances for tea and conversation at a house in an Iowa farm
community. Most of the people at the gathering were friends Xi had made
during a 1985 visit to Iowa as a member of an agricultural research
delegation.
In
Russia, he visited a children's center that had cared for Chinese
students who were affected by the devastating Wenchuan earthquake of
2008, and expressed his gratitude to the staff.
He
kicked a Gaelic football in Dublin's Croke Park when visiting Ireland
and watched an NBA game in the U.S. The media described both activities
as evidence of his amicable image.
"He
succeeded in not only demonstrating his personal manner and bearing,
but also the charm of China's economic development and social progress,"
an overseas media outlet remarked.
SON OF REVOLUTIONARY FAMILY, CARING HUSBAND
Xi
Jinping's father Xi Zhongxun was a Party and state leader. The senior
Xi served as chairman of the Shaan-Gan Border Region, a CPC
revolutionary base of the 1930s, and was called by Mao Zedong a "leader
of the people."
Xi
Zhongxun had suffered political persecution for 16 years beginning in
1962. However, he never gave in to adversity and ultimately helped clear
the names of other people who were persecuted. After the end of the
Cultural Revolution, he served as Party chief in Guangdong, the
forefront of China's reform and opening-up drive, making important
contributions to the establishment of special economic zones in the
province and their rapid development.
Xi's
mother Qi Xin, nearly 90 years of age, is also a veteran cadre and
Party member. As a filial son, Xi takes walks and chats with his mother,
holding her hand during the process, after he finds time to dine with
her.
The
Xi family has a tradition of being strict with children and living a
simple life. Xi Zhongxun believed if a senior Party official wanted to
discipline others, he should begin first with himself and his family. Xi
Jinping and his younger brother used to wear clothes and shoes handed
down from their elder sisters. After Xi Jinping became a leading
official, his mother called a family meeting to ban the siblings from
engaging in business where Xi Jinping worked.
Xi
Jinping has carried on his family's tradition and has been strict with
family members. Wherever he worked, he told the family members not to do
business there or do anything in his name, or else he "would be
ruthless." Whether in Fujian, Zhejiang or Shanghai, he pledged at
official meetings that no one was allowed to seek personal benefit using
his name and welcomed supervision in this regard.
Xi
married Peng Liyuan, a renowned and well-liked soprano and opera
singer. In 1980, Peng, on the behalf of the Shandong provincial
delegation, caused quite a stir while attending a national art
performance in Beijing.
She
was the first in China to obtain a master's degree in national vocal
music. She is a representative figure of national vocal music and one of
the founders of the school of national vocal music.
Her most famous works include On the Plains of Hope, People from Our Village, and We Are Yellow River and Taishan Mountain.
She
was the winner of many top awards at national vocal music contests. She
played the leading roles in the Chinese national operas The
White-haired Girl and Mulan, among others. She also won the highest
theatrical award in China, or the Plum Blossom Prize, and the highest
performance art award, the Wenhua Prize.
Peng
has attributed her accomplishments to the people and said she should
contribute all her talent to the people. Over the past 30-plus years,
she has given hundreds of free performances for people from all
different walks of life across the country as an expression of gratitude
or appreciation. These included performances in impoverished mountain
areas, coastal areas, oil fields, mines and barracks, as well as in
deserts and the snowy plateau. She also performed in Wenchuan after the
devastating earthquake of 2008, in Beijing's Xiaotangshan after the SARS
outbreak and in flood-hit Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province.
To
better introduce Chinese national vocal music and national opera to the
world, Peng took the lead to play a solo concert in Singapore in 1993.
She has also performed in more than 50 countries and regions
representing China, becoming a world-famous Cultural Ambassador for
China.
She
produced and played the leading role in the opera Mulan, which was
performed at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and
at the Vienna State Opera House in Austria.
Peng
is currently shifting her focus from performance to education, aiming
to nurture more talented people and produce more masterpieces.
Peng
is very much committed to charity work. She is a WHO Goodwill
Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, a national AIDS prevention
advocate, and an ambassador for the prevention of juvenile delinquency
and for tobacco control. At a recent World AIDS Day activity raising
awareness about AIDS, she was called "Mama Peng" by AIDS orphans.
Xi
and Peng fell in love at first sight in 1986 and got married the same
year. Although they were often separated due to work, they have
understood and supported each other and continuously shown concern for
each other.
As
a member of the People's Liberation Army, Peng was often tasked with
staging performances in remote areas. These tours sometimes kept her on
the road for two to three months at a time. Being concerned about his
wife, Xi would phone her before bedtime almost every night, no matter
how late it was.
On
Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, Peng would often perform in the Spring
Festival Gala presented by the China Central Television. Xi would make
dumplings while watching the show and would wait for her return to begin
cooking the family feast.
In
the eyes of Peng, Xi is a good husband and a good father. She always
shows care and consideration for him. Peng takes every opportunity to
get together with her husband, cooking for him dishes of different
styles.
In
Peng's eyes, Xi is both different from anybody else and also an average
person. He favors home-made cooking in the Shaanxi and Shandong
cuisines, and also drinks a bit during parties with friends. He likes
swimming, mountaineering, and watching basketball, football and boxing
matches. Sometimes he stays up late to watch televised sports games.
The
couple have a daughter, Xi Mingze. Mingze in Chinese implies "living an
honest life and being a useful person to society," which is their
expectation for her and also a symbol of their family's simple style.
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