Xi -- A tough man with a tender heart

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Guo Wei's lasting impression of Xi Jinping, Chinese President and Party and military leader, is of a man not afraid to get his feet -- or his whole body -- wet.

After an inspection tour of Dalian Ship-building Industry in the northeastern province of Liaoning in 2013, Xi stood in the pouring rain to talk with employees and posed for photographs with them, Guo, a Communist Party of China (CPC) affairs official of the company, recalled.

Since taking office, Xi, who is lauded for his easy-going personality by the public, has pushed ahead his counter-corruption drive, displaying the resolve to reform China's economic, political, cultural, social and environmental sectors.

After visiting a number of industries in Liaoning, Xi pledged to break systemic obstructions and revitalize old industrial bases in northeast China, an issue believed to reflect the complex and arduous reform task for the nation as a whole.

TOUGH WILL

Describing corruption as "a disease that calls for powerful drugs," Xi has urged all CPC members to fight corruption with courage of "a man who has to cut off his own snake-bitten hand to save his life."

Ensuing measures have displayed that Xi and his administration are serious about this commitment.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012, a sweeping campaign against corruption and extravagance has netted dozens of senior officials, including former senior leaders such as Zhou Yongkang, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong and Ling Jihua.

"In the past, a large slice of our efforts, and funds, were spent on cozying up to local officials," said Li Zhonggang, who runs a bidding agency in north China's Shanxi Province. "But now we can concentrate on business."

"The measures Xi and his administration have taken are an onslaught on the vices of officialdom to improve the environment," a former governmental official of the province said. "Changes in the environment will bring about changes in the mindset of officials, bolstering public confidence and the government's authority."

Xi heads the central leading group for deepening overall reform. The measures rolled out by the group, established in December 2013, have injected fresh energy into the economy and invigorated social development.

A MAN OF THE PEOPLE

While winning public confidence with his anticorruption drive, and reform and development measures, the president has also won the people's hearts with his down-to-earth nature.

Xi has shifted away from bureaucratic red tape and empty talk by using simple and colloquial language.

In his 2015 New Year speech, Xi used a popular online phrase to say that cadres had "given it their best shot", adding "of course, without the support of the people, we could not have achieved anything. I must give our great people a thumbs-up."

He has also visited many underdeveloped areas, taking the time to talk with locals and issue instructions on poverty relief and rural development.

"Our rural areas present the most arduous task to achieving an all-round well-off society," Xi said at a symposium in June, while calling for a more scientific approach to poverty relief.

"He looked quite ordinary, just like one of us," said You Futian, a farmer in Lankao County in central China's Henan Province.

During a visit to the county last year, Xi spoke with farmers, and You attended one of these meetings.

"He sat among us and talked with us in plain language. We all understood what he meant," You said. "I gave some advice to our village's administration, and he nodded at me, jotted down some notes and clapped after I had spoken."

"I was under the weather that day, and when he shook my hand, Xi told me to take care and stay fit," You recalled.

EVERYMAN'S PRESIDENT

A surprise visit by Xi to an ordinary steamed bun chain in Beijing, where he queued alongside other patrons and sat down among the diners to eat, has put the restaurant on the map, and sales have surged.

For many Chinese Internet users, the president is sometimes fondly referred as "Xi Dada" (Papa Xi) or "Pingping," a nickname often used by close friends or relatives.

The online community has also discussed the photos on display in the president's office, which show him with his father, mother, wife and daughter, and others with soldiers and him playing football.

"He is a family man, and he is everyman," said Zhang Qi, a student at Nanjing University. "He is also an outstanding helmsman to steer our country." Enditem

習近平的“剛”與“柔”

    新華社北京9月21日電 郭煒對中國黨政軍最高領導人習近平最難忘的印像是：他是一個勇於“涉水”實踐、甚至全身濕透也不怕的人。

    郭煒是東北地區遼寧省大連船舶重工集團的黨委幹部，他記得２０１３年習近平赴遼寧考察期間，曾前往集團公司調研並冒着大雨與工人們交談、合影。

    自就任總書記以來，習近平以親民的個人風格受到民眾歡迎。與此同時，他也堅定地推進反腐並展現出推進中國經濟、政治、文化、社會、生態等領域改革的決心。

    在考察了遼寧等地多家工業企業後，習近平強調要破除體制機制障礙，推動東北老工業基地振興。東北老工業基地的改革和振興，被認為折射了中國全國範圍改革的複雜與艱巨。

    堅強意志

    習近平曾説反腐需要“猛藥去疴”，要求全黨同志以“壯士斷腕”的勇氣進行反腐敗鬥爭。他率領的中共執政團隊也以實際行動彰顯了踐行這一要求的決心。

    十八大以來，隨着打擊腐敗、反對奢侈浪費等行動的展開，周永康、徐才厚、郭伯雄、令計劃等一批高級別官員落馬。

    “以前，公司要把很多精力和資金放在與當地官員‘拉關係’上。現在我們可以集中精力搞經營了。”山西省一家招標代理公司負責人李中剛説。

    山西一名政府退休幹部&&，習近平和中央的一系列舉措，意在重拳打擊官場惡習。“環境變好了，官員的心態就會發生改變，這樣老百姓才能信服，政府的公信力才能建立。”

    習近平還擔任中央全面深化改革領導小組組長。自2013年12月小組成立以來，多項改革舉措推進，為中國經濟社會發展注入動力。

    親民作風

    在以推進反腐、改革及發展等一系列舉措贏得老百姓信任的同時，習近平也以自己務實親民的作風贏得了老百姓的愛戴。

    他力戒打官腔、説空話，常使用通俗易懂的語言。

    在發表2015年新年賀詞時，習近平借網絡流行語稱讚各級幹部“蠻拼的”。他還説：“當然，沒有人民支持，這些工作是難以做好的，我要為我們偉大的人民點讚。”

    他也多次前往經濟相對落後的地區考察，花時間與當地群眾交流，並對扶貧和農村發展等問題做出指示。

    在2015年6月召開的一次座談會上，習近平&&，全面建成小康社會最艱巨最繁重的任務在農村。他還要求科學謀劃好扶貧工作。

    中國中部省份河南省蘭考縣農民游富田談起對習近平的印象時説：“他看著很普通，跟咱老百姓一樣。”

    去年習近平在蘭考縣考察期間，與當地農民座談，游富田是參加座談的農民之一。

    “他坐在我們中間，説的是大白話，我們都聽懂了。”游富田説，“我給村裏管理提了些建議，總書記點點頭，拿筆記下了，我講完他還拍拍巴掌。”

    “那天我有點感冒，習近平跟我握手時叮囑我要保重、注意身體。”游富田回憶説。

    人民的主席

    習近平曾光顧過北京一家平價連鎖包子鋪，在那裏和其他顧客一道排隊點餐，與其他食客坐在一起就餐。這次出乎很多人意料的行程使這家餐館成了北京的一個“熱門景點”，生意火了起來。

    不少中國網友會親切地稱呼這位國家主席為“習大大”，或者像稱呼親密的親人朋友一樣叫他“平平”。

    習近平辦公室內的陳設也引起網友的討論。人們發現，習近平的書架上擺放着幾張他與父親、母親、夫人和女兒的合影，還有他踢足球和與部隊戰士合影的照片。

    “他是一個顧家的人，是一個普通人。同時他也是一個引領我們國家前進的傑出的領導人。”南京大學學生張琦説。