Mission to reform

In its recent history, China was humiliated by Western powers. The Opium Wars made it realize that it had been abandoned by modernization. Western powers used their more advanced weapons to force the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to drop its policy of seclusion. China’s agricultural civilization, which had enjoyed thousands of years of glory, was beaten by capitalist civilization. Then the terrible defeat of the Qing Dynasty’s Northern Navy to Japan in 1894 made “political reform” and “restoration” a consensus. From then on, China has been looking for a road to return to and lead global modernization.

With the flooding of Western civilization into China along with gunfire, Chinese culture was denied and discarded. In his speeches at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art in 1942, Mao Zedong opened up a new political era. Traditional Chinese culture suffered unprecedented attack during the ten-year “cultural revolution” (1966-76). After which, China’s economy enjoyed 30 years of rapid growth thanks to Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening-up policy.

“Everyone has only one fate.” What Michael Corleone said in the God Father is concise and thought provoking. “What should we do with our only fate?” What Pavel Korchagin wondered is an eternal question — the fates of the weak are controlled by others while strong people hold their own destinies. And the fate of a nation is held in the hands of its leaders.

Xi Jinping insists that he is a loyal descendant of revolutionary elders and it is his mission to revive China and achieve the ruling party’s modernization. “Xi could have enjoyed a relaxed term of office, but as a descendant of revolutionary forerunners, he feels obligated to choose a harder road.” said another offspring of revolutionary elders. Hu Jintao turned over both the power of Party and military to Xi at the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. Despite being in office for less than two years, Xi’s confidence has made him a mature leader who is not afraid of hardship. The image Xi presents to the public is unimaginable for others, even for friends and colleagues who used to be familiar with him. His every word is no longer an empty slogan, but from his deep thinking.

Xi stressed that the road the country takes can determine its fate, and he proposed the dream of the great rejuvenation of China as the road to take while visiting the exhibition Road to Revival on November 29, 2012. This was also an announcement of his historical mission. And so we Chinese will no longer be those who were controlled by others. During Xi’ visit to Europe in 2014, he mentioned Chinese civilization and China’s road many times, declaring that “China the lion has already woken up”. Xi has his own plan on how to revive the country, what kind of country China will be when revived, and how it will interact with other countries after reviving. Even though he is a leader who has not been in office for long, he has declared to the whole world that China will step into a new era under his leadership.