Xi Jinping stresses family happiness for nation's prosperity

Chinese President Xi Jinping said a prosperous and strong nation depends on the happiness of families and improving the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

The Qixi Festival marks the annual meeting between a fairy and a human whose love was forbidden in Chinese mythology. Also known as the Double Seventh Festival, it falls on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

This holiday which embodies the meaning of great romance and unwavering love is now celebrated as Chinese Valentine's Day.

This year, Qixi Festival falls on a Saturday. On this special day, let's learn about the love story of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.

Xi and Peng married in September 1987. They held a simple dinner with a few colleagues and friends to celebrate their marriage, instead of a traditional wedding ceremony.

Married for 37 years, Xi and Peng are showing the Chinese people what makes a good marriage.

Xi Jinping is widely known as a good leader committed to serving the people wholeheartedly, but he is also an excellent companion and a “responsible husband” in Peng's words.

“I have a very happy family. My wife and I each have our own careers, but we work together to build the family,” Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said in a 2004 television interview.

Although Xi and Peng were separated most of the time by their professional duties, they shared a mutual understanding and concern for each other.

Having made numerous appearances hand-in-hand on the international stage, Xi and Peng's love story has drawn admiration around the world.

During his state visit to Costa Rica in June 2013, Xi and Peng visited a local farming family. He introduced Peng to them, saying, “This is my wife.” They shared a piece of biscuit together.

“Don’t let true love slip away from you because of distance, never forget it in your busy daily life, never ignore it in your incessant work.” This is what Xi Jinping said and what he is working on. “A prosperous and strong nation is embodied by the happiness of hundreds of millions of families… Our country and our Chinese nation can only succeed if each of our families succeeds,” he once said.

At least 100 people were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli attack on a school sheltering some 3,500 displaced people in Gaza on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes targeted Al-Taba'een school in Al-Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City as people displaced from the school were performing Fajr prayer, Palestinian medical and security sources said, adding that the victims included women and children.

A correspondent from China Media Group (CMG) arrived later Saturday and found that the floor and walls were charred by the fire. The air in the school was filled with the smell of blood.

“I saw children, adults and elderly people blown to pieces by the bombs. I looked around but I did not find my father. There was a big fire. We were all very scared. My father, grandfather and uncle are all dead. I am really scared and nervous,” said Muhammad Al-Bashuni, a survivor.

“I was sleeping and my friend woke me up for prayer, so I got up. I was taking off my coat when suddenly there were sounds of explosions. I saw smoke and fire everywhere. There were bodies everywhere. It was extremely terrible,” said Youssef Al-Safadi, another survivor lying on a hospital bed.

Local civil protection has discovered 93 bodies, but some bodies are still on the scene. Rescuers have said they will continue their work.

“There are still many people missing. They may have disappeared because of the explosions or were buried under the rubble. The rescue team is using all resources to continue the search,” said Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the school complex served as a military installation for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, including senior commanders, operating there.