Xi: A leader keeping children in mind

When sending greetings across China on International Children's Day in 2013, Xi Jinping called himself a friend to youths. Over the years, he has kept the healthy growth of the country's youngsters in mind.

He has talked with children in schools, attended children's events and replied to their letters.

Here are some memorable moments from Xi's interactions with children.

A brighter future

"I am happy to see many of the children here don't wear glasses," Xi said when visiting students at a primary school in Pingli county in Northwest China's Shaanxi province on April 21, 2020.

"It is a concern that many children wear glasses these days, as is their physical wellbeing, which has been affected due to a lack of exercise. Sharpen your mind and toughen your body. What I mean by 'toughen your body' is exercise more," Xi told the pupils in the classroom.

After reading a newspaper article on the prevalence of myopia among students, Xi made an instruction in 2018 to urge more action to protect the eyesight of children.

In subsequent years, China's education authorities have rolled out measures to reduce the workload of students to allow children more outdoor time and restrict access to electronic devices.

By 2020, the rate of myopia among schoolchildren dropped by 0.9 percentage points compared with 2018.

'Grow a little stronger'

In February 2017 at the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing, Xi bent over and bumped a nine-year-old hockey player's shoulder with his own -- a special greeting in the game.

"Grow a little bit stronger, young man," Xi said to him with a smile.

"I always bear in mind the excitement when grandpa Xi shook hands and bumped shoulders with me. Grandpa Xi is like a family member. Whenever I make some progress, I want to share with him," said the player, Guan Zizhao. Guan is now a junior high school student and has won several ice hockey games for his school.

Silent inspiration

A simple gesture from Xi was a source of motivation for a disabled young girl to chase her dream of becoming a teacher.

On a cold winter day ahead of Chinese New Year in 2014, Xi visited the Children's Welfare House in Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, where he met Wang Yani, who is deaf and mute.

Knowing Wang wished to be a teacher, Xi encouraged the girl to study hard to achieve her goal.

Wang then said "thank you" in sign language, and Xi returned the gesture.

"Grandpa Xi communicated with me using sign language, which made me feel as he was a close family member," Wang said.

A photograph from that day is still on Wang's desk. After attending beauty school, Wang returned to where she had finished her basic education -- Hohhot special education school -- to be a teacher at the end of 2018.

Planting green seeds

Xi has always taken time to join activities with children inside and outside the classroom.

From 2013 to 2022, Xi has taken part in an annual tree-planting ceremony in Beijing. Xi has used the occasion to communicate with children every year except 2020, when COVID-19 precautions limited gatherings.

This spring, Xi participated in the tree planting as usual. While working, Xi told the children to cultivate an appreciation of work, environmental protection and thriftiness from childhood.

Xi has planted the seeds of environmental awareness and enthusiasm for labor in children.

Noting "when the young people are strong, the country will be strong," Xi has emphasized children's well-rounded development and expressed concern about their health and growth in particular.

In September 2020, Xi entered a classroom of fourth-graders at a primary school in Central China's Hunan province.

"You are like small saplings. Now we water you, cultivate you, and take care of you when the wind and rain come. You will finally grow into towering trees and thrive, and become the forest of the Chinese nation, the forest of talent," Xi said to the rural students.

Pen pals

Even when Xi is not visiting children in-person, they are dear to his heart. This is often revealed in his reply letters, some of which have crossed seas and mountains to reach children from foreign countries.

In April, Xi replied to a letter from fourth-grade students at Britain's Francis Holland School on the issue of climate change.

In the reply, Xi encouraged the British pupils to communicate with their Chinese peers, allow the concept of green development to take root in their hearts and grow up to become active builders of a beautiful home for mankind.

Ahead of the Chinese New Year in 2020, 50 fourth-grade students from Cascade Elementary School in the state of Utah wrote New Year's cards to Xi in Chinese.

In his reply letter dated Feb 15, 2020, Xi said he is pleased to see the students write and learn Chinese so well, and expressed hopes they will continue to work hard, make greater progress and become young ambassadors for friendship between the two peoples.

Xi also encouraged them to learn more about Chinese culture by studying the language, which is used by more than 1 billion people around the world.

In a reply letter to Nongping Primary School in Laos dated April 29, 2019, he wished the children an early trip to Beijing via the China-Laos railway, which was under construction at the time and started operations Dec 3, 2021, as the students said they hoped to do in their letter.

Xi said he hopes they will study hard to make great contributions to Laos' national development as early as possible and become successors in promoting the bilateral friendship.