Xi Jinping invokes China’s past to rally confidence in its future as country vies with West
- Chinese president tells Politburo that the country has long gone along a different path to other civilisations
- Xi puts spotlight on work of archaeologist who concluded the country’s history went back more than five millennia
China’s president has urged top officials to look to the country’s history as a source of confidence, saying the nation had long walked a “different path” from other civilisations.
“Chinese civilisation … is the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation, the root of Chinese culture and the spiritual bond that links the Chinese people around the globe,” Xi told the 25 members of the party’s decision-making body.
“In its long history, the Chinese nation has … walked a different path from other civilisations.
“[We should] have a profound understanding of the 5,000-plus years of history of the Chinese civilisation to enhance historical awareness and cultural confidence in the pursuit of national rejuvenation,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
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The message was underlined at the meeting on Friday with a report from Wang Wei, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.