In a speech Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered to mark the 100th anniversary of May Fourth Movement at Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 30, the word fendou or struggle came up for 26 times.
"The 100 years since the May Fourth Movement is a period in which Chinese young people, generation by generation, struggled and moved ahead triumphantly, as well as a period in which Chinese youth committed themselves to a dynamic country," Xi said in his speech.
"In the new era, Chinese youth must be brave in their struggles. Struggle is the most beautiful grounding for the youth," he said.
With "struggle" as a key word, Xi has offered a growth handbook for youth with his speech. Striving for ideals has been his character for years.
Hosting 14 leaders in one day
The intensive activities by Xi last month amazed the public again.
On April 25, from 8 am to 10 pm, Xi met and talked with visiting leaders from 14 countries, one by one.
On April 26, he attended the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) held in Beijing and delivered a 30-minute keynote speech. In the evening, he hosted a welcome banquet for guests attending the forum with his wife Peng Liyuan and gave a toast.
On April 27, he chaired and addressed the Leaders' Roundtable of the forum, and met the press later, briefing the media on the outcomes of the three-day event.
On April 28, in addition to meeting with foreign leaders, he attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Expo. In the afternoon, he made a tour of the exhibition with foreign leaders and their spouses.
On April 29, Xi met and talked with leaders from six countries.
On the morning of April 30, Xi appeared at a gathering to mark the 100th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement.
The prolonged work hours impressed the citizens. This is not an occasional case. Diligence is a characteristic Xi has maintained for decades.
Diligent always
We can find proof from his early days in Liangjiahe in Yanchuan County, Shaanxi Province, where young Xi lived from 1969 to 1975 as a result of a nationwide campaign for urban youth to experience rural labor.
"Together with my fellows, I sheltered and cut straw on rainy and windy days, looked after cattle at night, and herded sheep. I did all sorts of labor," Xi recalled in 1995 during an interview with Oriental Horizon, a documentary television program from China Central Television. He made full use of every minute, and always read till late at night.
Xi Jinping (2nd left) in Yanchuan in 1973
Xi Jinping (center front) and his fellow villagers from Liangjiahe in 1975
When serving as a secretary for Geng Biao, then secretary of the General Office of the Central Military Commission, Xi remembered hundreds of telephone numbers to be more efficient at work.
A photo of Xi Jinping as he works at the General Office of the Central Military Commission in 1979
He kept the diligent working style while working in local areas.
In Fujian, leading other officials in Fuzhou, he once met more than 700 petitioners in two days and handled nearly 200 complaints for them on the spot.
'No time for meals'
After becoming the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2012, Xi got even busier.
In an interview with Rossiya TV in the southern Russian city of Sochi in February 2014, he revealed that he had little personal time and was nearly always occupied by work.
Over most of the past seven years, he was either on his way to inspection tours or engaged with diplomatic activities.
Sometimes, even at midnight, he was still at a meeting with foreign leaders, according to foreign ministry officials.
A translator said Xi usually had no time for meals on busy days.
One time, a guard passed her a box of biscuits and asked her to give it to Xi for a quick bite.
In March when meeting Roberto Fico, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Italy, Xi was asked:“What did you feel when you were elected Chinese president?”
"[To govern] such a big country, the responsibility is heavy and the task is arduous," Xi replied. "I will put aside my own well-being for the good of my people."
Strive for a better future
China is very big, with a vast land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, a population of more than 1.3 billion and 56 ethnic groups. There are many things happening in the country and many problems to be solved.
Xi talks with villagers to learn about the progress of poverty alleviation in Huaxi Village of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Southwest China's Chongqing, April 15, 2019. (Photos: Xinhua/CNR)
Xi is busy. What he has devoted is not only time, energy, but also a deep affection for the nation and the people.
Now China is creating a miracle by completely getting rid of poverty by 2020 and getting closer to a "moderately well-off society." An increasing number of nations are joining efforts to build the the Belt and Road Initiative, and more people along the Belt and Road are benefiting from it.
Chinese people believe that "Fortune favors the diligent." With struggles and hard work, there is a future. With struggles and hard work, there is prosperity.
Following Xi, and strive for a better future.
(Source: China National Radio; compiled by Huang Jingjing)