Kathrine Frich
Here are 10 fascinating things we’ve just learned about the man running China.
Here are 10 fascinating things we’ve just learned about the man running China.
Behind the Polished Exterior
He’s rarely spontaneous, never chaotic, and controls the world’s most populous country with precision.
Yet behind Xi Jinping’s polished exterior lies a complex, ruthless, and politically sharpened persona.
A deep-dive profile in The New Yorker peeled back the curtain on China’s top leader and what it found was part dynasty, part survival, and part strategy.
Xi Was Groomed by a Revolutionary Father
Xi Jinping was born in 1953 to Xi Zhongxun, a key revolutionary figure and China’s propaganda chief.
Xi’s father reportedly told him early on, “You will certainly make revolution in the future.”
The elder Xi’s life was marked by radical acts. as a teen, he tried to poison a teacher labeled a “counterrevolutionary.”
His Childhood Was Brutal and Shaped Him
When Xi’s father fell out of favor, the family’s world collapsed. Xi was banned from joining the Communist Party’s Youth League, rejected seven times.
In that period, he roamed with other children of purged officials, got into street fights, and scavenged books from shuttered libraries.
He once described this era as a “dystopian collapse of control.”
Tragedy Struck Early
During Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Xi was sent to a rural village for “re-education” through hard labor.
While there, he received a devastating letter, his half-sister had taken her own life.
She had reportedly hanged herself after enduring years of political persecution.
He Was “Redder Than Red” to Survive
Many of Xi’s peers gave up on politics. Not him. According to one professor, Xi was “exceptionally ambitious” and knew he had to go all in to thrive.
“He chose to survive by becoming redder than the red,” the source said.
Image Is Everything
As he rose in power, Xi mastered the art of public perception. Gone were the military fatigues. replaced by sleek Western suits.
He shaped his image carefully, mirroring strongmen like Putin, whom he openly admired. Soon, flattering oil paintings of Xi began appearing in Chinese state media.
He Loves the Spotlight and Uses It
Unlike his predecessors, Xi hasn’t been shy. By his second year in office, he appeared in state newspapers more than twice as often as the previous president.
He’s also judged art students on how well they could sketch his likeness.
He Doesn’t Care for Democracy
Xi once bluntly asked then–Vice President Joe Biden: “Why do you put so much emphasis on human rights?”
He’s known for speaking his mind and openly rejecting Western-style values and political systems.
Power Was No Accident
Xi rose by carefully dismantling rival factions. According to reports, his allies accused competing institutions of conspiracies and abuses, neutralizing anyone who could challenge him.
Under his watch, over 100,000 officials were prosecuted for corruption, but critics say it also conveniently wiped out political threats.
His Marriage Started With Low Expectations
When he first met Peng Liyuan, a famous singer and nine years his junior, she wasn’t impressed.
She reportedly thought Xi looked “uncultured and much older than his age.” Still, she appreciated his intellect, and they eventually married.
He’s Been Underestimated But Always Calculated
Those who knew Xi before his rise often say they didn’t expect him to become president.
One American host who had Xi as a guest in Iowa in the ’80s said,
“No one in their right mind would ever think that that guy would become president.” But Xi played the long game and won.