Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Thursday visited “The Road Toward Renewal” exhibition in Beijing, pledging to continue targeting the goal of “great renewal of the Chinese nation.”
Xi made the comments as he viewed the exhibition, on display in the National Museum of China, along with other members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli.
During his time at the attraction, Xi went through the exhibition halls one by one, carefully examining the exhibits and listening to explanations made by staff of the museum, which houses a large number of historic pictures, charts, material goods and videos on Chinese history since the First Opium War (1840-1842).
Xi stopped in front of some exhibits on major historical events in the 19th century, including charts illustrating how the West had occupied China’s territories, established concessions and drew up spheres of influence; the cannons installed at the fortifications of Humen in Guangdong during the Opium War; materials and pictures on the 1911 Revolution that overthrew China’s last feudalistic regime of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Party leader also studied the first Chinese version of the Communist Manifesto, material exhibits and photos relating to the founding of the CPC in 1921, the autobiography of one of CPC founders Li Dazhao, the first national flag of the People’s Republic of China, and photos on the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee at which Deng Xiaoping and his comrades launched the epoch-making reform and opening up drive.
Making a keynote speech during his visit, the general secretary described “The Road Toward Renewal” as a retrospective on the Chinese nation, a celebration of its present and a declaration on its future.
Citing a sentence from one of Mao Zedong’s poems, “Idle boast the strong pass is a wall of iron,” Xi said the Chinese nation had suffered unusual hardship and sacrifice in the world’s modern history.
“But the Chinese people have never given in, have struggled ceaselessly, and have finally taken hold of their own destiny and started the great process of building the nation,” he emphasized. “It has displayed, in full, the great national spirit with patriotism as the core.”
Talking about China’s today, Xi borrowed another sentence from Mao’s poems, “But man’s world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields,” referring to the country’s hard-earned finding of a correct road toward rejuvenation and its remarkable achievements since the launch of reform and opening up. “It is the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” he stressed.
Afterwards, Xi cited a poetic sentence from Li Bai, one of the best-known ancient Chinese poets, “I will mount a long wind some day and break the heavy waves.” It indicates that, after more than 170 years of hard struggle since the Opium War, the Chinese nation has bright prospects, is closer than ever to reaching its goal of great renewal, and is more confident and capable of reaching the goal than ever.
Xi urged all Party members to firmly keep in mind that lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to attacks and only development makes a nation strong.
At present, he said, “all comrades have to keep in mind that the path decides the destiny, which indicates how difficult it is for us to choose a right road, and that we have to continue taking this road, unswervingly.”
“Looking toward the future, all the Party’s comrades have to keep in mind that to turn blueprints into realities takes a long time and it also demands long and hard efforts,” the general secretary said.
Xi went on to say that everybody has one’s own ideal and pursuit as well as one’s own dream. “Nowadays, everyone is talking about the ‘China Dream,'” he said. “In my view, to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the Chinese nation in modern history.”
The China Dream has conglomerated the long-cherished aspiration of Chinese people of several generations, represented the overall interests of the Chinese nation and Chinese people, and has been a common expectation of every Chinese, according to Xi.
“History tells us that everybody has one’s future and destiny closely connected to those of the country and nation,” the Party leader said, noting that the people’s wellbeing relies on the strength of the country and prosperity of the nation.
It is a glorious and difficult cause to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which calls for efforts by Chinese generation by generation, said Xi, emphasizing, “Making empty talk is harmful to the nation, while doing practical jobs can help it thrive.”
“We, this generation of Communists, must take what has been left to us by our predecessors as a departure for forging ahead into the future,” Xi said.
He pledged to build the Party well, unite all Chinese people to build the country well and develop the nation well, in a bid to continue marching boldly toward the goal of great renewal of the Chinese nation.
At the end of his speech, Xi said, “I believe that by the time when the Communist Party of China marks its 100th founding anniversary, the goal to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects will be inevitably achieved.”
When it comes to the 100th founding anniversary of new China, the goal of building an affluent, strong, civilized and harmonious socialist modern country will certainly be fulfilled, and the dream of great renewal of the Chinese nation will inevitably be accomplished, Xi said.
Also present were Zhao Leji, Li Zhanshu, Du Qinglin, Zhao Hongzhu and Yang Jing, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
Xinhua