Xi Jinping's Adages : A Guide to the Chinese Leader's Classical Allusions

In this book, 13 quotes in which President Xi Jinping alludes to Chinese classics are explained and analysed by experts. Serves as an insight into the thinking of a leader eager to draw on premodern texts to shape his vision of a powerful and prosperous China. Covers such topics as virtue, wisdom, family, idealism and corruption.

Since taking office, General Secretary Xi Jinping has promoted the ‘Chinese Dream of National Rejuvenation’ - a concept which neatly binds together past vitality and future prosperity. Accordingly, Xi has incorporated allusions to the classics as part of his signature style, prescribing the ideas of Confucius, Mencius, and others as cures for the vexations of modernity. From both a domestic and an international perspective this is a strikingly novel approach, well worthy of closer examination.

This book pairs 35 classical references from Xi Jinping’s key speeches with expert analysis, affording the reader a fascinating perspective on the thinking of a leader who believes China’s ancient past can - and should - shape its future.