Chinese university hopefuls take grasp test of Xi Jinping’s nationalist credo

Zhang, from central China’s Henan province, encountered a cryptic essay prompt when he took the college entrance exam this month: Blowing out other people’s lamps won’t make you brighter.

Chinese composition questions in China are notoriously difficult college entrance examinationlasting two days, determines students’ university placements, and their careers have tended to become increasingly nationalistic in recent years.

But this year, examiners turned directly to Xi Jinping Thought, a collection of quotations from the Chinese president that is known to ask students to answer passages with strong anti-American themes.

In modern China, it’s hard to avoid Xi Jinping, the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, and his Marxist ideology. Official portraits of the president and banners emblazoned with his slogan plastered store walls and curbside billboards, and his vast collection of essays lined the shelves of bookstores.

But analysts say the implantation of Xi Jinping Thought into China’s education system, indoctrinating would-be Communist Party members from an impressionable age, reflects the leadership’s concern that its control is under threat and that younger generations are increasingly disengaged from politics.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, an emeritus professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, said we could see more pressure from the party on society and youth. Geopolitical and economic threats have clearly convinced the party leadership that they need a stronger leader, that they need a symbol to hold society together.

Another question asked students to think about a sentence from Xi Jinping, “A flower blooming alone is not spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together make the garden spring”. According to the test, the text is based on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech and expresses universal truths in vivid language.

Not all of the approximately 13 million students who take the course college entrance examination The issues facing this year clearly relate to Xi Jinping Thought. But many of those who have done so are in remote provinces, such as the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where authorities face charges of crimes against humanity for detaining more than 1 million Uighurs and other minority Muslims.

This year, as Mr. Xi kicks off his unprecedented third term in office, there are signs he is seeking to perpetuate that cult of personality. Most official speeches and documents tout his formal doctrine, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which is enshrined in China’s constitution, a similar privilege enjoyed only by Mao Zedong.

One of the core tenets of Xi Jinping’s ideology is the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which many analysts believe includes replacing U.S. hegemony with a multipolar world order in which a more assertive China holds significant global Influence.

But despite his strong grip on domestic politics, the Chinese nationalist leader faces growing tensions with the United States and a sluggish economic recovery that has led to record levels of youth unemployment. Rare protests against Covid-19 control measures in November drew disaffected young people to the streets of the country’s largest city.

John P Burns, a professor emeritus at the University of Hong Kong, said the party’s place in society and its place globally is insecure. That’s why they tighten up central control and try to get people to think the same.

Analysts say Xi’s cult of personality is far less extreme than Mao’s, who instigated the disastrous Cultural Revolution to purge the party and its leadership of apparent challenges to socialism.

But some observers on the mainland have described Xi’s growing public profile as China’s North Koreaization, referring to Kim Jong Un’s overwhelming rule over China’s smaller neighbor.

Cabestan said there is a sense of insecurity, even paranoia, among the Chinese leadership. That’s why we’re going back to that cult of personality.

The message was welcomed by Zhang, a student from Henan province, who offered a geopolitical interpretation of his exam that could make Mr. Xi proud and further elaborated on how U.S. hegemony is not conducive to world peace.

Another student, also surnamed Zhang but not related, wrote about how young people should build a community with a shared future for mankind, echoing a Xi Jinping cliché that many analysts believe refers to the end of American hegemony.

However, some teachers said many students would forget what the test questions were about, especially outside cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

I teach science students, they don’t study politics and don’t watch a lot of news. “They may not know the political background,” said a teacher surnamed Li from Henan province who helped her class prepare lessons. college entrance examination.

Hong Kong University’s Burns said the exams raised questions about the priorities of China’s leadership in educating the next generation. Are they looking for ideological consistency, or are they looking for ingenuity and thinking outside the box? He said.