Children are the future of China and the hope of the Chinese nation, President Xi Jinping has said on numerous occasions, stressing the need to nurture the country's young generation to become backbones of the nation.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, extended International Children's Day greetings to children nationwide in a recent reply letter to student docents at the memorials of the birthplaces of the CPC in east China's Shanghai and Zhejiang Province.
Xi has always attached great importance to children's growth and wellbeing, calling them the future of the nation.
"Hope rests with your generation," Xi told a group of children when visiting the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing in February 2017.
Over the years, Xi has engaged with children in various ways, and through those interactions, Xi has become a caring friend to children who affectionately call him "Grandpa Xi".
During a visit to a primary school in Shaanxi Province in April 2020, Xi called for greater efforts to build up children's physical strength via sports and exercise. He particularly stressed the importance of protecting the eyesight of children when he noticed some students wearing glasses.
"It came to me as a big concern that many children wear glasses these days. Sharpen your mind and toughen your body. What I mean by 'toughen your body' is exercise more," Xi told the class.
Xi has often used the metaphor of "saplings" to describe children on various occasions including participating in voluntary tree-plating activities, expressing the hope that they will grow strong and become pillars of society.
"You are like little saplings, and we need to take care of you and protect you from wind and rain. But you will eventually grow into towering trees in the future," Xi told the students at a primary school during a September 2020 inspection tour in Hunan Province, central China.
"You are like little saplings and I wish you thrive and grow strong," he said to the children when participating in a voluntary tree-planting activity in Beijing in April 2019.
Xi has also encouraged Chinese youngsters to set ambitious goals from an early age and contribute to the country's development.
"Seeing the children's sunny, radiant smiles, I feel that you are the future of our country and the hope of our nation. 'Heroes are cultivated from a young age.' Just as in the Yangtze River, the waves behind drive on those ahead, [so each young generation surpasses the old.] I hope that you will have dreams to realize your goals," Xi said to a group of children at the Beijing Children's Palace in May 2013.
"A goal is like the beacon that guides one's way in life. One can set many goals, but the first and foremost one should be to serve the country and people," Xi told the representatives attending the seventh National Congress of the Chinese Young Pioneers in Beijing in June 2015.
Xi has also emphasized the need of fostering an inseparable bond between youth empowerment and national progress, noting that the young generation must have a deep understanding of the country's culture and history, and develop a strongest sense of national pride.
"I think this class is of great significance. As Chinese people, we must know the history of our own nation. I'm also more confident that today's young people in Macao will mature into a capable generation we are proud of," Xi said after observing a Chinese history class at the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School in Macao in December 2019.
To Xi, children in today's China are a new force in the endeavor of building a modern socialist country, and he has urged them to study hard, firm up their ideals and convictions, and develop strong bodies and minds to contribute to realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
"We will make China a great socialist country with Chinese characteristics by the middle of this century. There are 30 years to go. Now you are 10 years old and when you turn 40, you will become the pillars of the country," Xi said to the children participating in a voluntary tree-planting activity in Beijing in April 2021.
"You should strive to become well-rounded talents in terms of moral grounding, intellectual and physical ability, aesthetic sensibility, and work skills. Step by step, you will eventually become contributors to society and backbones of the nation. I wish you all success," Xi said to students at a middle school during an inspection tour in Shaanxi in September 2021.
Thrive, aim high, and become backbones of Chinese nation: Xi's expectations of children
