Foreign classics inspire Chinese President Xi-Xinhua

His extensive reading significantly shaped his overall perspective. Since assuming leadership of China, President Xi Jinping has prioritized cultural interaction as a hallmark of his diplomacy to foster deeper understanding between China and the international community.

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) — “Should we let the world sink into the abyss of disorder and chaos, or should we strive to return it to the path of peace and development? This reminds me of a novel by Nikolay Chernyshevsky entitled What to do? Chinese President Xi Jinping recently declared.

“The protagonist's unwavering determination and passionate motivation are exactly the kind of will we need today. The more tumultuous our times become, the more we must stand firm at the forefront,” Xi said in a speech delivered at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. .

This was not the first time Xi mentioned the novel during a meeting with foreign friends. More than a decade ago, during a meeting with Russian sinologists, Chinese language students and media representatives in Moscow, he said he had been inspired by the novel when he was young.

“Chernyshevsky was a democratic revolutionary and his works inspired us greatly. I read his What to Do? while living in the cave dwellings of Liangjiahe, and it had a profound impact on me,” he once said .

In the novel, the protagonist leads an ascetic life, even sleeping on a bed of nails to strengthen his willpower. Xi was so moved that he imitated the protagonist, removed his cotton mattress and chose to sleep on a brick bed in order to strengthen his own will.

The Chinese leader has always been a great reader of domestic and foreign literature. In the 1960s, when he was sent from Beijing to work as a farmer in Liangjiahe, a village in northwest China's Shaanxi province, he brought two suitcases full of books.

During his stay in the village, Xi read almost every literary classic he could find. One day, after hearing that a young man in Beijing owned a copy of “Faust,” he drove a dozen miles of bumpy, dusty country road to borrow it.

His extensive reading significantly shaped his overall perspective. Since assuming leadership of China, he has prioritized cultural interaction as a hallmark of his diplomacy to foster deeper understanding between China and the international community.

“The past is only prologue,” he quoted Shakespeare – whose works he first read 40 years ago – in the British Parliament during his state visit to Britain in the fall of 2015, highlighting his country's perspective on Sino-British relations.

He likes to quote classic books by French luminaries, notably Victor Hugo, in his speeches. Addressing the historic Paris climate change conference in 2015 to call for agreement, Xi cited an insightful line from Les Misérables: “Supreme resources are born from extreme resolutions.”

Xi also draws inspiration from the classics for his vision of building a better world for all. Ten years ago, when Xi attended the sixth BRICS summit in Brazil, he mentioned in his speech a book titled Brazil: A Land of the Future. The book, an important work by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, offers essential reading for understanding Brazil, as well as profound reflections on humanity.

“A Brazilian friend told me about a best-selling book called Brazil: A Land of the Future, which expresses great hope for human civilization. I look forward to the BRICS countries growing together, as the book envisions, into a future of prosperity and strength. , democracy and civilization. Together, they can create a better future where global economic growth is more diversified and international relations more democratic,” Xi said.

Ten years later, in his speech at the 16th BRICS Summit, Xi reaffirmed the vision of BRICS inspired by the book and proposed making it a main channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation between countries in the South and a vanguard in advancing global governance reform. .

“China is willing to work with all BRICS countries to open a new horizon in the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and join hands with countries in the South to build a community with a shared future for “humanity,” he said.