Xi Jinping is known as a 'princeling,' gets compared to Winnie the Pooh, and loves American movies - and now he's China's most powerful leader in decades
Xi Jinping was born in 1953 and was the son of Xi Zhongxun, a veteran communist who fought in the Chinese Civil War and served as a Vice Chairman for Mao after the People's Republic of China was established in 1949. Because of this, Xi enjoyed a privileged upbringing at first.
In 1966, when Xi was in middle school, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution. It was a brutal time as Mao called on the people to get rid of old traditions, remnants of private ownership, and political enemies — including Xi's father — through force.
With his father purged from the party, Xi's privileged upbringing was torn apart. He was forced to work in the countryside as part of Mao's Down to the Countryside Movement, which attempted to force people in cities to work in factories and farms in rural China.
Xi was apparently always known to be a soft spoken and gentle person. Other laborers who worked with him in the countryside rated him a six on a ten-point scale.
Xi is also very well read. He is a fan of Mark Twain, having said that he wanted to see “the picturesque scenery of the Mississippi” after reading his novels. He is also a fan of Hemingway.
It has also been reported that Xi likes action movies. One of his favorite movie is "Saving Private Ryan," according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
Xi has been compared to Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon bear made by English author A. A. Milne. The comparison is made by opponents of Xi, who say that the teddy and the president share similar physical characteristics.
Xi Jinping's wife, Peng Liyuan, was one of China’s most famous opera and folk singers. She reportedly thought Xi looked "uncultured and much older than his age," but was impressed when she spoke to him. He later said he decided within 40 minutes to ask her to marry him.
Xi Jinping has a 25 year old daughter named Xi Mingze. Not much is known about her because of the Xi family's attempts to keep her out of the spotlight. It is known that she attended Harvard under a pseudonym so as to maintain her privacy.
When the Revolution was over, Xi stayed in the countryside and became a member of the Communist Party. He rose through the ranks and spent the next few decades in various positions in a number of provinces, including Hebei (1982–1985), Fujian (1985–2002), Zhejiang (2002–2007), and Shanghai (2007).
Xi also spent part of 1985 in Muscatine, Iowa, researching US agriculture. During this trip he spent two weeks with an American family, and met then-governor Terry Branstad, who is now the US Ambassador to China. Xi refers to him as an "old friend."
In 2007, Xi was named head of Shanghai's Communist Party branch. He only kept this position for seven months before becoming a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the most powerful group of politicians in China.
Less than a year later, Xi was named Vice President to Hu Jintao, effectively securing his path to General Secretary, the highest ranking position in Chia.
In November 2012, Xi became the General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Four months later, he became President of the People's Republic of China.
Xi reportedly told Putin in a meeting in 2013 “we are similar in character.” This, and the fact that some believe he is an admirer of Mao has led to many in the West to be cautious about him.
Since coming to power, Xi Jinping has overseen one of the largest and significant purges of corrupt CCP members and political opponents in China's history. In his first year alone he jailed over 266,000 party members.
Xi has also put more focus on modernizing and equipping the military, known as the People's Liberation Army. To show his control, Xi oversaw a massive parade that involved 12,000 troops, 129 aircraft, and over 500 tanks, missile launchers, and other vehicles at the 90th anniversary of the PLA last July.
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