Xi: Reading cultivates noble spirit

"I clearly remember many chapters and plots in those books," Xi said. He mentioned How the Steel was Tempered, written by Nikolai Ostrovsky, which he read many times.

"After reading What Is to Be Done by Nikolay Chernyshevsky, I felt a huge shock," he said at a seminar on literature and art in October 2014.

Xi also is an enthusiast of French literature.

In a meeting that honors the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in March 2014, Xi said, "Since youth, I have been fascinated by French culture, its history, philosophy, literature and art."

"Reading the books about the French Revolution enriched my thoughts about the evolution of human society and politics. Reading the books of Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Saint-Simon, Fourier and Sartre deepened my understanding of how progress in people's minds could induce the progress of human society. Reading the books of Montaigne, La Fontaine, Moliere, Stendhal, Balzac, Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, Flaubert, Alexandre Dumas fils, Maupassant and Roman Rolland allowed me to experience the joys and sorrows, reunions and partings of life. Those characters in the books, such as Jean Valjean, Quasimodo, Boule de Suif still reside in my mind vividly till today."