Values passed from father to son: President Xi and his father

"Let's go to Xi Zhongxun!" This slogan, which is remembered by the people in China’s northwest, illustrates the influence of China's former vice premier in people's hearts.

"I will put aside my own well-being for the good of my people," President Xi Jinping told Roberto Fico, the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies – a remark that won a resounding round of applause from the public.

Passed from father to son, Xi Zhongxun’s aspirations haven’t been forgotten.

Keep the Party's mission firmly in mind

"It’s the people that build a country." – Xi Zhongxun.

"The original intention and mission of the Communist Party is the happiness of the people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." – Xi Jinping.

File photo Xi Zhongxun. [Photo: CCTV]

Xi Zhongxun described his life as an ongoing battle, and said he felt happy when he was endeavoring to succeed. In the first half of his life, he dedicated himself to the development of the northwest region. When he was nearly 60, he gave the remainder of his years to working in south China's Guangdong Province.

In both good times and bad times, Xi Zhongxun never wavered in his determination to work for the party and the people. "As a member of the Communist Party, what else can make me feel happy and proud except working for the party," he said.

Xi Jinping and other members of Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the memorial hall of the 1st National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai, October 31, 2017. [Photo: CCTV]

"My father's beliefs, and his words and deeds, show me the way in my career," Xi Jinping wrote in a letter to his father Xi Zhongxun.

Xi Jinping took on the mission of working for the people's well-being and the rejuvenation of the nation, and always encourages the party’s members to never forget the party's original intention and mission.

Serve the people

"Serving the people is the most important act of filial piety for my parents." – Xi Zhongxun.

"I will put aside my own well-being for the good of my people." – Xi Jinping.

Xi Zhongxun cutting wheat with other party cadres and local residents in Beijing in June 1960. [Photo: CCTV]

Xi Zhongxun always said, "I'm the son of a farmer." A leader who comes from the people always keeps the people in his mind. In the eyes of farmers, workers, and grassroots officials, Xi Zhongxun was one of their own and a friend.

He once told Xi Jinping, "No matter what kind of high position you get, never forget to work for the people, go to the people, and be easy-going."

Xi Jinping on an inspection tour of Huaxi Village in the Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County in southwest China's Chongqing City on April 15, 2019. [Photo: CCTV]

Xi Jinping lives up to his father's wish. He has left his footprints in all of the country’s impoverished regions, and promised to fulfill his pledge to lift the remaining 40 million people out of poverty by 2020. He also promised better education, employment, social insurance, medical care, improved living conditions, and a rich spiritual and cultural life.

Promoting reforms

"When it can benefit the people and the country, we will do it." – Xi Zhongxun.　　

"We must follow the right direction towards reform, dare to challenge all of the difficulties, and have the courage to break through obstacles and the barriers of entrenched interests.” – Xi Jinping.

Xi Zhongxun inspecting a factory in Guangdong as he looked for the best ways to reform state-owned enterprises. [Photo: CCTV]

Xi Zhongxun's name is closely associated with reform and opening up in Guangdong Province. He led local people to devote themselves to reform, corrected wrongdoing, set up special economic zones, and made an indelible contribution to Guangzhou's leading role in the reform and opening up drive.

Xi Jinping presents a flower basket to pay tribute to the late leader Deng Xiaoping at a park in the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province in December 2012. [Photo: CCTV]

After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Xi Jinping had his first inspection tour of Guangdong, the frontier of China's reform and opening up. He said China's reform and opening up will never stop and that it will be pushed to an unprecedented scale through a series of strategic measures.

Seek truth from facts

"Seeking truth from facts is the most significant Party spirit." – Xi Zhongxun.

"Practice has proved that insisting on seeking truth from facts can rejuvenate the Party and the country." – Xi Jinping.

Xi Zhongxun visits an impoverished family at a village in Jiangxi Province in November 1985. [Photo: CCTV]

When recalling Xi Zhongxun’s past, his children said “My father, who insisted on seeking truth from facts during his life, never hid or shied away when it came to issues involving the interests of the public.”

Xi Zhongxun voted against the construction of the Sanmenxia hydro project on the Yellow River, the first hydro project on China’s second-largest river, when the country solicited opinions on the project in the 1950s. He suggested that the plan should be postponed until issues such as sediment accumulation were resolved first. He believed that science and technology must be based on truth and experiments, and that no one should voice an opinion that lacks a factual basis.

Xi Jinping talks with villagers and local government officials about poverty alleviation in the Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing City on April 15, 2019. [Photo: CCTV]

Xi Jinping was profoundly influenced by his father.

In a speech at the opening ceremony for the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC in 2012, Xi Jinping said the principle of seeking truth from facts is the basic way of thinking for the Communist Party of China. It has enabled the party to lead the Chinese people in building the country and driving its successful reforms.

On many occasions, Xi Jinping has advocated doing in-depth research, going directly to the people, and learning the facts before making a decision.

He said county governors should visit all of the villages within their jurisdiction, mayors need to go deep into their towns, and provincial leaders should reach into all of their counties and cities.

Going deep into the front lines, seeking truth from facts, and mastering first-hand details: that’s Xi Jinping’s work style, and it’s why his footsteps can be found across the country in its communities, villages, enterprises, and schools.

Building a beautiful China

“Not only should we know about China; we need to transform the country and build a better and more beautiful China.”–Xi Zhongxun.

“Green mountains and clear water are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver.”–Xi Jinping.

Born in Shaanxi and having worked in the northwest for a long time, Xi Zhongxun was very familiar with the environmental situation in the northwest, and deeply felt the importance of environmental protection when it came to the construction and development of the region.

He once said we need to use forests to transform the natural environment in the northwest, turn wasteland into forest, and grow trees where there are none.

Xi Zhongxun’s wish is coming true. There are many national forest cities popping up in northwest China.

A stele bearing the words “Green mountains and clear water are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver” in Yucun village in Zhejiang Province. [Photo: CCTV]A belief in environmental protection has grown roots in the hearts of the Chinese people, and the construction of a beautiful China has begun.

Xi Jinping is the leading advocate of this movement.

A family photo with Xi Jinping and his father Xi Zhongxun. [Photo: CCTV]

If you never forget why you started, you can accomplish your mission. Fathers teach us how to be better people by providing themselves as a shining example. By taking the baton from them, we can finally usher in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.