Xi Jinping and his family values

On the bookshelf of Chinese President Xi Jinping, there are four pictures that are particularly noticeable. They record the warm moments in Xi Jinping's life with his parents, wife and daughter.

Domestic bliss is this national leader's wish, which also represents the beautiful expectations of tens of millions of families.

Undated photo on the book-shelf of President Xi Jinping shows him hand in hand with his mother, Qi Xin, walking in a park. [Photo: cctv.com]

Xi Jinping has always been an example of filial piety toward his parents and love for his wife and child. When serving as secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, Xi Jinping told a reporter from Yan'an, "I make a phone call to my wife (Peng Liyuan) every day. We have been married for more than ten years, but I do that every day."

Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in 1987, Dongshan Island, Fujian Province. [Photo: Xinhua]

On Lunar New Year's Eve, Peng Liyuan would often perform during the Spring Festival Gala on China Central Television. Xi Jinping would make dumplings while watching the show and would wait for her return before he began enjoying the family feast.

A loving home is that even when they are not together, they still keep one another in each other's hearts. After the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan are often seen together at important state events, a signal of the Chinese nation's traditional virtues of attaching importance to family in the international diplomatic arena.

Undated photo showing Xi Jinping taking his father in a wheelchair for a walk along with his wife Peng Liyuan and their daughter. [Photo: cctv.com]

October 15, 2001, was the 88th birthday of Xi Jinping's father, Xi Zhongxun. At the time, Xi Jinping was the governor of Fujian Province. Because of work commitments, he had to miss his father's birthday celebration. The apologetic son wrote a letter of gratitude to his father. "It's been 48 years since I was born. I've come to know you and mother better, and my feelings for both of you have grown as time has gone by." "There are many noble traits I wish to inherit from you."

This family letter is full of Xi Jinping's deep apology, respect and affection for his father. It's also a revolutionary descendant's pledge to inherit the legacy of their ancestors.

Xi Jinping talks about family, family education and family tradition.

Home is the smallest country, and a country has tens of millions of families. Growing up in a good family atmosphere, Xi Jinping, who comes from the people, never forgets the importance of happiness which tens of millions of families strive for. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping has noted in many speeches that more importance should be placed to family, family education and family tradition.

Undated photo showing Xi Jinping riding a bike with his daughter, in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. [Photo: cctv.com]

At the Spring Festival gathering in 2015, Xi Jinping pointed out that whatever changes take place in society and life, "we should make efforts to enhance virtue and civility in Chinese families and make them an important foundation for national development, progress and social harmony."

On December 12, 2016, Xi Jinping spoke at a conference in Beijing to honor model families across the country. He called for more to be done in China to enhance virtue and civility in families and make them "an important foundation" for national development, progress and social harmony. People from all walks of life should work for "a new trend toward socialist family values," featuring love for the nation, family and one another, a devotion to progress and kindness, as well as mutual growth and sharing. "Traditional family values have been engraved on the minds and melted into the blood of the Chinese people," said Xi Jinping.

"Family is not only the dwelling for people's bodies, but also the home of people's hearts," said Xi Jinping. "A family may thrive within a good culture while a bad culture may bring problems to the family and to society," Xi Jinping added.

At the Spring Festival gathering on January 26, 2017, Xi Jinping reminded of the three "don'ts": "Don't cut off true feelings because of long distance, don't forget your true feelings because of a busy life and don't ignore your true feelings because of the hustle and bustle of life." His notion of "go back home often" touched hundreds of millions of Chinese people.

On February 3, 2019, Xi Jinping emphasized again at a Spring Festival gathering that without prosperity and development in China, there will be no happy families, and vice versa. "We should advocate combining the love for family with the love of country so that every individual and every family can make contributions to the big family of the Chinese nation," said Xi Jinping.

"If one family is benevolent, then the country can be benevolent," said Xi Jinping. Filial piety, patriotism and love for each other. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping, solid family traditions have made a powerful contribution to people's lives and to the revival of the Chinese nation.