Youth: Xi's trips prioritize universities

For Chinese athlete Wu Yanni, the opening ceremony of the Chengdu FISU World University Games on Friday will be an occasion to remember forever.

The 100-meter hurdles runner, who turns 26 on Friday, will participate in a parade at the ceremony, which will be attended by President Xi Jinping, and the thought of his presence on her birthday is "more than thrilling" to her.

Xi's attendance at the opening ceremony of the international multisport event for university athletes is yet another gesture of his support and care for the nation's young people, especially students, said Wu, a postgraduate student at Beijing Sport University.

The president has held frequent exchanges with university students over the years, expressing his earnest expectations for them and offering them encouragement to achieve their goals.

Writing letters is one of Xi's preferred ways of communicating with people from all walks of life, including university students. In May, he replied to a letter from students at China Agricultural University in Beijing, lauding their endeavors on the front line of agricultural production and encouraging them to combine their academic learning with rural practice.

The students who wrote to Xi are part of the Science and Technology Backyard program at the university. Under the program, students conduct research in experimental fields and use the acquired knowledge to help the local farmers solve various agricultural problems.

The students said Xi's reply firmed up their resolve to serve the nation's agricultural and rural development.

She Zonggang, a postgraduate student at the university, said that Xi has shown students the way to conduct intensive research both in laboratories and on farmland to explore pathways for innovation and rural development.

Augustine Talababi Phiri, a student from Malawi at the agricultural university, said the fact that President Xi took the time to personally respond to a letter from students showcases the importance China places on young people and their involvement in national development.

He Baiyan, a 25-year-old graduate from China University of Petroleum-Beijing in Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said that Xi's reply to their letter in 2020 was the "most valuable and surprising graduation gift" for them.

In his reply letter, Xi expressed his support for the 118 students from the university, including He, after learning that they were taking grassroots jobs in Xinjiang and promoting the development of China's westernmost region.

"I was thrilled and in disbelief after receiving the letter. In retrospect, I feel that the president placed high expectations on us and we should honor our commitments in our work posts," said He, who now works for an oil production company in Xinjiang.

Xi has also prioritized higher-education institutions in his fact-finding trips over the past decade, having conducted over 20 tours to universities since he was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2012.

"Every time I walk into a university campus and spend time with students, I always strongly feel the vigor of young people," Xi said.

Li Runfeng, a graduate from Tsinghua University in Beijing, was among the students who spoke with Xi during his inspection tour to the university in April 2021.

Li recalled that Xi smiled at her when she shared her thoughts with him. The president's high expectations for the students were reflected in his expressions and words, she said.

Inspired by Xi, she has decided to become a university volunteer to teach in the Nanjian Yi autonomous county in Yunnan province, one of the least developed areas in China. "It will be an opportunity to teach and learn, and use a period of less than one year to do something worth remembering for a lifetime," she said.

Filip Filipovic, a 25-year-old Serbian student who is pursuing postgraduate studies in international politics at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the Chinese president's emphasis on youth development is evident from his actions.

"President Xi has conducted fact-finding trips to colleges, hosting seminars with young people, maintaining correspondence with them and putting forward his earnest expectations of them," Filipovic said.

The Serbian student, who has lived in China for 18 years, said he has high expectations of athletes from his home country at the Chengdu games. The event will be a key platform for young people to know each other and learn from each other, he said.

"Like President Xi said, the world is a global village and human beings are a community with a shared future. The responsibility of building this shared future rests on the shoulders of young people," he added.

Shi Futian in Chengdu contributed to the story.