China's new leader, Xi Jinping, is a man of the people XINHUA

Rising from an "educated youth" to the top of his country, Xi Jinping, the newly elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is leading the Chinese in realizing the China Dream - the great renewal of the Chinese nation.

Xi, 59, was promoted to the nine-member Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee in 2007, after working for decades in various locations, including Shanghai and the provinces of Shaanxi, Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang and serving in the army.

A son of Xi Zhongxun, a Communist revolutionary and former Vice Premier, Xi Jinping did not grow up in comfort.

Beginning in 1962, when his father was disgraced, Xi experienced tough times. During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), he suffered public humiliation and hunger, experienced homelessness and was once even held in custody. At 16, he volunteered to live in a small village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province as an "educated youth." 

Life there was tough for an urban youth. In the beginning, swarms of fleas prevented him from falling asleep and in the Shaanxi countryside, he engaged in all sorts of harsh labor.

As time passed, Xi became a hardworking, capable young man in the villagers' eyes. After gaining their trust, he was elected village Party chief. He led the farmers to reinforce the riverbank to prevent erosion, organized a small cooperative of blacksmiths in the village and built a methane tank - the first in landlocked Shaanxi. 

Although he was not in school, Xi never stopped reading. He brought with him many books and was always "reading books as thick as bricks," the villagers of Liangjiahe recalled. 

He formed close ties with the villagers during his seven years in Shaanxi. After he was recommended for enrollment at Tsinghua University in 1975, all the villagers lined up to bid him farewell, and a dozen young men walked more than 30 km to take him to the county seat for his trip back to Beijing.

The Xi family has a tradition of being strict with children and living a simple life. Xi Jinping and his younger brother used to wear clothes and shoes handed down from their older sisters. After Xi became a leading official, his mother called a family meeting to ban the siblings from engaging in business where Xi worked. 

Xi has carried on his family's traditions and has been strict with family members. Wherever he worked, he told his family members not to do business there or do anything in his name, or else he "would be ruthless."

Xi's 90-year-old mother, Qi Xin, is also a veteran cadre and Party member. Xi takes walks and chats with his mother, holding her hand after he finds time to dine with her. 

Xi married Peng Liyuan, a renowned and well-liked soprano and opera singer. She was the first singer in China to obtain a master's degree in national vocal music.  

Over the past 30-plus years, Peng has traveled to impoverished mountain areas, coastal areas, oilfields, mines and barracks, as well as to deserts and the snowy plateau, giving hundreds of free performances for people across the country as an expression of gratitude and appreciation to them. Peng is currently shifting her focus from performing to education, aiming to nurture other talented people. 

Peng is very much committed to charitable work. She is a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, a national AIDS prevention advocate and an ambassador for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and for tobacco control. At a recent World AIDS Day activity to raise awareness about AIDS, she was called "Mama Peng" by AIDS orphans. 

Xi and Peng fell in love at first sight in 1986 and got married the same year. Although they were often separated due to work, they have understood and supported each other and continuously shown concern for each other. In the eyes of Peng, Xi is a good husband and father. He favors home-style Shaanxi and Shandong cuisine. He likes swimming, mountaineering and watching basketball, football and boxing matches. Sometimes he stays up late to watch televised sports games. 

The couple has a daughter, Xi Mingze. Mingze in Chinese implies "living an honest life and being a useful person to society," which is their expectation of her and also a symbol of their family's simple style. CA