Last June, China’s leader Xi Jinping visited Peking University, the country’s premier academic institution. Addressing students from the school of archaeology and museology, Xi, who was then China’s Vice President, gave a boilerplate speech, encouraging the students to study hard and work at “party building,” the curious term used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to describe efforts to perpetuate its own power.
On April 28, the undergraduate league of the students whom Xi addressed last year returned the favor with a letter to the new Chinese leader. In their missive, they reported on their efforts to educate themselves — a process that has apparently proceeded swimmingly — and expressed their ardor for Xi’s new political slogan, the Chinese dream. The catchphrase, which is designed to unite the Chinese people at a time of economic uncertainty and growing social unrest, has been widely covered in the state media — even if few are sure exactly what it means.
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