From picture book to lifelong pursuit

When Xi Jinping was a little boy, his mother took him to a bookstore, where she bought him a picture book telling the story of Yue Fei.

Yue Fei, a military commander from the 12th century, stands as a symbol of loyalty in Chinese culture. Legend has it that Yue's mother tattooed four Chinese characters onto his back: "Jing Zhong Bao Guo", translating to "serve the country with unreserved loyalty".

"Wouldn't it hurt to have his back tattooed?" young Xi asked.

"Certainly, it hurt," his mother replied, "But those words etched that commitment into Yue's mind forever."

These four characters — Jing Zhong Bao Guo — have lingered in Xi's memory, evolving into the lifelong pursuit that defines him today.

He once said, "A person can have many aspirations, but the most important are about the motherland and its people."