Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and leader of China since 2012, was assigned as a mishu to Minister of Defense Geng Biao following his graduation from Tsinghua University in 1979. In 1982, Xi requested he be transferred outside Beijing, leading him to be assigned as deputy party secretary of Zhengding County in Hebei, where he became the CCP committee secretary in 1983. In Hebei, Xi promoted initiatives to promote the household responsibility system and boost tourism.
In 1985, he was assigned as a vice mayor in Xiamen, Fujian, where he promoted various economic development projects. In 1988, he was appointed as the party secretary of Ningde. In Ningde, Xi focused on anti-poverty efforts. In 1990, he was assigned to Fuzhou City as the Municipal Committee Secretary. Fuzhou's economy grew under Xi, and he promoted various projects such as the Changle International Airport. In 1995, Xi was elevated to deputy secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee. He was tasked with rural affairs, and focused on attracting foreign investment. He became the Vice Governor of Fujian in 1999, before becoming the Governor in 2000. He focused on reforming and modernizing Fujian's economy.
In 2002, he was transferred to Zhejiang, where he served as the provincial party secretary. In Zhejiang. he implemented private business-friendly policies, developed the Double Eight Strategy, and focused on economic integration with neighboring regions. In 2007, Xi was transferred to replace the dismissed Shanghai party secretary Chen Liangyu for a brief period. He subsequently joined the Politburo Standing Committee the same year and became the first-ranking member of the Secretariat. In 2008, Xi was appointed the vice president and became vice chairman of the CMC in 2010, making him Hu Jintao's presumed successor as paramount leader. During this time, he oversaw CCP ideology and security, and oversaw policies regarding Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Early political career
Central Military Commission
After graduating from Tsinghua University in April 1979, upon the recommendation of his mother Qi Xin, Xi was assigned to the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the CCP Central Military Commission, where he served as one of three mishus to Geng Biao, a member of the CCP Politburo and Minister of Defense. Xi Jinping's father Xi Zhongxun and Geng Biao had known each other since 1936, and the two families were very close. To become Geng's secretary, Xi Jinping joined the military.
Xi had a monthly salary of ¥52 yuan. He participated in central meetings and decision-making, dealt with regional and foreign affairs, and became familiar with the handling of central documents, including confidential ones. Xi worked to inspect the armed forces, draft documents, and oversee Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan affairs together with Geng. As part of his job, Xi memorized hundreds of phone numbers, though he did sometimes sneak into his own office to take notes. Xi also listened to songs by Teresa Teng to relax, especially her song "Small Town Story". He additionally often accompanied Geng Biao to visit foreign countries. In May 1980, Xi accompanied Geng to visit the United States, including the Pentagon and the White House, where a Chinese delegation was shown a screening of The Empire Strikes Back. The Chinese delegation also toured the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier.
Hebei In 1982, Xi proposed that he return to the "base levels" to "temper" himself. It has been suggested that Xi concluded staying with Geng Biao would shrink his support base. Additionally, Geng Biao's official biography states that Geng had started to cut the number of secretaries he had, so Xi took the hint and offered his resignation. Xi said he preferred to go to Pingshan County, Hebei, where Xipaipo is located; however, he decided against it after he was told factionalism there was "explosive". He portrayed this as an idealistic act, and stated while some had wanted to regain the time they lost during the Cultural Revolution by enjoying themselves, Xi disagreed with such a view and wanted to return to the grassroots to prevent another Cultural Revolution. He expressed sorrow when other princelings, who preferred having fun, did not understand his choice. One leaked United States Embassy document states that while many people "descended into the pursuit of romantic relationships, drink, movies and Western literature as a release from the hardships of the time," Xi "chose to survive by becoming redder than red".
On 25 March 1982, Xi was appointed deputy party secretary of Zhengding County in Hebei, meaning he was "sent down" from Beijing. He quickly learned that it was very poor, with the average annual income was only 148 yuan in 1981. Together with Lü Yulan (), the other deputy party secretary of Zhengding, Xi wrote a letter to the central government addressing the excessive requisitions that burdened local farmers. Their efforts successfully convinced the central government to reduce the annual requisition amount by 14 million kilograms. Xi also set up a pilot project for the household responsibility system in one of the poorer communes despite reservations from some in the local leadership. In 1983, Zhengding adjusted its agricultural structure, leading to a significant increase in farmers' incomes from 148 yuan to over 400 yuan in 1984, thoroughly solving the county's economic issues. In 1983, Zhengding was the first county in Hebei to formally introduce the household responsibility system with land contracts lasting for five years or longer. This allowed Zhengding to escape its reputation as a "high-yield but poor" county,
Xi had the view that Zhengding's economy should not depend solely on agriculture. Xi initiated several development projects including the development of Nine Articles of Zhengding talents; in 1982, Xi proposed three surveys of intellectuals and professionals in various occupations and compiled the county's first talent book. He oversaw the construction of Changshan Park, the restoration of the Longxing Temple, the formation of a tourism company, and the establishment of the Rongguo Mansion and Zhengding Table Tennis Base. He also persuaded the China Teleplay Production Center to set the filming base of Dream of the Red Chamber in Zhengding and secured 3.5 million yuan to build Rongguo Mansion, which significantly boosted the county's tourism industry, generating 17.61 million yuan in revenue that year, and bringing half a million tourists in 1985.
Additionally, Xi invited prominent figures such as Hua Luogeng, Yu Guangyuan, Pan Chengxiao to visit Zhengding, which eventually led to the development of the county's "semi-urban" strategy, leveraging its proximity to Shijiazhuang for diverse business growth. Xi also oversaw that a large conference room of the CCP to be transformed into a retired cadre activities room, as well as arranging several beneficial policies for retirees. He oversaw various economic policies such as promotion of village and township enterprises in food processing, doubling their value, allowing cadres to hire workers on contracts to replace life tenure, and initiating an economic and social plan. He also oversaw refurbishment of unsafe schools with furniture and playgrounds and resolution of salary problems for private school teachers. Regarding Party building, Xi passed a resolution in 1983 to "oppose bureaucratism, [and] raise efficiency and leadership standards" and led a large-scale overhaul of rural party organizations by making them younger.In 1983, Youth Bureau director Li Rui sent Young Cadre Bureau official Yan Huai to Hebei to prepare a report specifically on Xi. In the beginning of 1983, the Young Cadre Bureau's assessment of Xi was mostly positive, calling him young, vigorous, resilient, and enterprising. He became the secretary of the CCP Zhengding County Committee in July 1983, officially as a decision of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee to make cadres more "revolutionary, young, educated, and professional". In May 1983, Xi published an article in China Youth, detailing his fondness for Zhengding's culture and observing the various industrial and agricultural changes he observed since coming His name appeared for the first time in the People's Daily in June 1984, where an article observed the "great changes' and rapid economic growth that took place under Xi in Zhengding. In July 1984, a highly positive piece about Xi appeared in Hebei Youth, which depicted Xi's devotion to the CCP and China as the source of meaning in his life. In September 1984, during a briefing session chaired by He Zai, the secretary-general of the CCP Central Organization Department, Xi Jinping's strategic vision and comprehensive understanding of Zhengding County's development were highlighted. He Zai, along with Wei Jianxing, deputy head of the CCP Central Organization Department, communicated these findings to Hu Yaobang, describing Xi as a leader with a strategic outlook and a strong alliance ideology between workers and peasants.
In December 1984, Xi published his first article in the People's Daily titled "Middle and Young Cadres Must ‘Respect the Elderly'", where he argued the concept of "respecting the elderly" was manipulated by "past dynastic feudal ruling class" in ancient feudal times to avoid power struggles, but that under socialism, the concept lost its feudal connotations and "added new societal content", meaning that while not blindly obeying elder cadres, younger and middle aged cadres should give more care to them. In January 1985, both China Youth and Guangming Daily published positive articles about Xi. In 1985, Xi participated in a study tour on corn processing and traveled to Iowa, the United States, to study agricultural production and corn processing technology. During his visit to the U.S., the CCP Central Organization Department decided to transfer him to Xiamen as a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Xiamen Municipal Committee and as vice mayor. Party Central had initially wanted Xi to be promoted to the Hebei Party Committee Standing Committee, but was opposed by Gao Yang, who felt Xi was too young, leading the Party Central to directly transfer Xi to Fujian.
Fujian Xi arrived in Xiamen as vice-mayor on 1 June 1985. He oversaw the relocation of the poor rural residents outside of Xiamen Island. Xi was surprised that Fujian was poorer than he imagined. Soon after his arrival, the central leadership mandated retrenchment policies to cool the overheating economy, which Xi complied to. Shortly after he took office. Fujian's party secretary Xiang Nan was forced to resign and was replaced by Chen Guangyi. After Xiang's resignation, Xi drafted the first strategic plan for the development of the city, the Xiamen Economic and Social Development Strategy for 1985–2000. He led a group of officials to Beijing to consult with economists and organized a group of around 1000 scholars and officials to research 21 topics including strengthening ties with Taiwan and the policy of a free-port-based SEZ. Xi also took the lead the implementation of the policy in which Xiamen would be granted province-level status, allowing it to directly negotiate with Beijing. From August, he oversaw the resolution for Yundang Lake's comprehensive treatments, and prepared Xiamen Airlines, the Xiamen Economic Information Center, and the Xiamen Special Administrative Region Road Project. He first married Ke Lingling in 1980, but the couple divorced just after three years. He then married Peng Liyuan in Xiamen.