Xi Jinping – Know him Better!

Xi Jinping is a famous Chinese politician who serves as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. He is also the President of the People’s Republic of China, and holds the position of Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Jinping holds all the significant top offices of Chinese political party and the nation’s military, while also serving as the head of state through the presidential office.

Jinping’s official positions have earned him the title of “Paramount leader of China”. He is recognized the leadership “core” of the party. In his capacity as the General Secretary, Jinping holds an ex-officio seat on CPC’s Politburo Standing Committee which is the top decision-making body of China. Jinping formerly served as the vice-president of the party, holding office from 2008 to 2013. He was also the Central Military Commission’s Vice-chairman from 2010 to 2012.

Early Life and Education

Jinping was born on 15 June 1953 in Beijing China as the second of the six children born to Qi Xin and and politician Xi Zhongxun who served as a propaganda chief and later became vice-premier and National People’s Congress’ vice-chairman. Jinping has ancestors from Fuping County, Shaanxi and Xiying in Dengzhou, Henan. Jinpings has 2 sisters, Qi Qiaoqiao and Qi An’an and 4 brothers, Xi Heping Xi Qianping, Xi Zhengning, Xi Yuanping.

Jinping’s secondary education suffered with the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution in China in which students rose against their teachers. After his father was jailed, Jinping worked at the Yinchuan County, Shaanxi and served in the Countryside Movement of 1969, serving as a party branch secretary until 1975. Jinping attended the Tsinghua University, Beijing as a “Worker-Peasant-Soldier student”, studying chemical engineering and Marxism–Leninism–Mao Zedong thought from 1975-1979. He later studied Marxist Philosophy and earned a Doctor of Law (LLD) degree, from Tsinghua University.

Career Rise

Jinping began his political career in 1974 after being accepted into the Communist Party serving as an aide to Geng Biao, the top leader of ‘People’s Liberation Army’. Jinping served as the party secretary for three years in Hebei province, China. In 1985, he was transferred to Fujian where he served on several party posts including Deputy Mayor of Xiamen, where he proposed improvements in infrastructure. Two years later, in 1987, Jinping transferred to Ningde, serving as a district party chief and launched a conservation campaign to beautify the artery connecting Ningde to Fujian. He was then named the party leader in the provincial capital of Fuzhou, serving from 1998-2000 where he stimulated foreign investment and revitalized the iconic ‘Three Lanes, Seven Alleys’ section. He earned the reputation of an honest politician and became the provincial governor of Fujian. Jinping moved to Zhejiang province in 2003 and became party secretary and governor, making the province flourish with investment and development in private industry.

In 2007, Jinping was elected as the party leader in Shanghai and in the following year, he was named to the Communist Party’s Standing Committee and later named People’s Republic of China’s Vice-President. In 2012, Jinping first became the Chairman of the Central Military Commission and later became the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the most powerful position in the ‘one-party’ state nation. He was then named the 7th President of the People’s Republic of China in March 2013. He continues to serve in all his positions.

Wife and Children

Jinping has been married twice. He was first married to Ke Lingling who was the daughter of Ke Hua, a Chinese politician and ambassador to Britain but the couple who fought “almost every day” soon divorced with Lingling moving to England.

The 1.81 meter tall Jinping then married Peng Liyyuan, a famous Chinese folk singer who was a more prominent name in China even before her marriage to Jinping. In fact, she was better known publicly until Jinping’s career took off. The couple are parents to one child, a daughter called Xi Mingze who studied under a pseudonym at Harvard University. Liyuan’s role as China’s first lady is much more visible than those of her predecessors.

Xi Jinping  – Salary and Net Worth

Jinping earns an annual salary of approximately $20,536 or ¥ 1,341,309 Chinese Yuan. He has an estimated net worth of approximately $1 Million.