Xi Jinping began career as cadre in rural Hebei
Why did the well-connected son of a revolutionary leader swap a job in the capital for life as a party cadre in on obscure rural community?
Xi Jinping kick-started his political career with a bold move. At the age of 29, Xi turned his back on a life of privilege as a party elder's son in Beijing to accept a posting 250 kilometres away in an obscure, dusty town in Zhengding county, Hebei province.
His father, Xi Zhongxun, an ex-guerilla leader close to Mao Zedong, was at the height of his powers, serving as secretary of the party's Central Committee secretariat.
Under his wing, the younger Xi seemed to have a guaranteed, easy road to success. He had earned a degree in chemical engineering from Tsinghua University and was working as secretary to General Geng Biao , the defence minister at the time.
But he struck out on his own, moving to Zhengding in 1982 to work as the county's deputy party chief. Within a few months, he had risen to the rank of party chief, and three years later was transferred to Xiamen, in Fujian province. Xi would recall his time in rural politics fondly, saying it had laid a solid foundation for his future career.
"[Zhengding] is the place that I often miss … it was there where I began to learn how to become a leading cadre," he said when he revisited the town in 2005. An excerpt of his speech was published in a magazine linked to the county government and was made available online.
"I felt so humbled and nervous, as it was for me like a tiger trying to swallow the sky. I may have accumulated a certain amount of valuable knowledge before, but I had little practical experience. I had to learn everything from the very beginning. It was an unusual three years."