Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping delivered a celebratory speech to the country on Wednesday in anticipation of the Lunar New Year, declaring that China had now begun “leading the times” and the Chinese people should approach the new year with a commitment to “nurture and practice core socialist values.”
Xi’s speech echoes the tone of his three-hour address to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Congress in October, where he decreed China as the world’s leading superpower.
According to the CPC publication, the People’s Daily, XI celebrated “the achievements in developing the economy, deepening reform, advancing law-based governance, improving people’s lives and fighting poverty, as well as the progress in national defense and armed forces construction, diplomacy on all fronts, and full and strict governance over the CPC.”
In the last 40 years, Xi declared, China had “taken the great leap from ‘catching up with the times’ to ‘leading the times.'”
The state-run Global Times, which also published select translations of Xi’s speech, reported that Xi used the address to emphasize the importance of social “harmony” and “traditional family values.”
“We should nurture and practice core socialist values, foster the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, and love both family and the country,” he told the nation. He reportedly urged the Chinese people to avoid individual aspirations, and, instead, “integrate their personal and family dreams with the Chinese Dream,” a term modeled after the “American dream,” denoting what the Communist Party refers to as the creation of a “moderately prosperous society.”
“We should pool the wisdom and strength of more than 1.3 billion Chinese people in more than 400 million households to strive for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation,” Xi asserted.
The Global Times made note that Xi was addressing not just the nation of China, but also “Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and abroad,” asserting China’s claims over the nation of Taiwan and the territory of Hong Kong, increasingly restless as China seeks to impose its communist regime on it.
Xi’s address also warned that it would take “dozens of generations” to fully realize “socialism with Chinese characteristics” and that “there will be difficulties in our endeavor, but battling them will also purify our souls and strengthen our faith.” Given that China strictly regulates religion and discourages the CPC from participating in any faith activities, Xi likely referred to faith in atheist Maoism.
China and much of east Asia observes the use of a lunar calendar. The Lunar New Year is a major holiday traditionally celebrated with fireworks, gift envelopes, and an extensive menu of auspicious foods. Beginning Friday, 2018 will be a year of the dog.
Another Chinese state outlet, Xinhua, notes that this year is also a Wuxu year, which it predicts will result in a heavy load of work for every Chinese person to move “toward the goal of building a moderately prosperous society by 2020 and embarking on a new journey to become a modern socialist country by the middle of this century.”
Xinhua also showcased allegedly average Chinese people who felt “inspired” by Xi’s speech, just as it has done after every major speech Xi has delivered.
“The Chinese economy has been developing by leaps and bounds … Overseas Chinese nowadays are feeling a greater sense of pride and witnessing a surge in business opportunities,” one businessman abroad reportedly said. Another urged Chinese people living abroad to “make [their] share of contribution to the development of the homeland.”
While the Global Times typically publishes the most belligerent articles against the United States, Xinhua has taken on the role of greatest promotor of Xi’s cult of personality. In December, Xinhua published an extensive profile depicting Xi as a modest leader who had risen to become the savior of his people and a “man who makes things happen.”
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