Opinion | Will Xi Jinping follow in the footsteps of his reformist father?
The president has not shown whether his loyalties lie left or right, but tributes to the family patriarch might hold a clue
Like father, like son. If the proverb rings true, it might provide some insight on a question vexing many China analysts: is President Xi Jinping a leftist or rightist?
The answer will show which direction Xi wants to take the world's second largest economy. Some analysts have been heartened by the fact that Xi has constantly trumpeted reforms and chose Shenzhen, the cradle of the country's open-door policy, as the place for his first official visit.
However, others were dismayed when Xi began to quote Mao Zedong more often than Deng Xiaoping and adopt old-style Maoist tactics in recent months. The latest example is the "mass line" campaign, which requires officials go through rounds and rounds of "criticisms and self-criticisms", one of Mao's favourite tricks to force officials to swear loyalty and strengthen his control.
Amid the left-or-right debate, the leadership launched a series of high-profile activities earlier this month to commemorate the centenary birthday of Xi's father, Xi Zhongxun, a respected communist elder and a former vice-premier.
Usually, such commemorations are observed with a single event. But the tributes to the senior Xi, who died in 2002, have gone far beyond that, with ceremonies held in his hometown and the key places where he worked. In addition, the nation was given a TV documentary broadcast in prime time, an official biography, postage stamps bearing his portrait, and lengthy articles written by his relatives carried on state media.
Topping it all off, the president and his family members joined hundreds of current and former leaders and their children at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday where the senior Xi was praised for his "revolutionary career and achievements".
The campaign appears to be serving two purposes. The first is straightforward - to highlight the president as the right successor to the party leadership by reminding the people of the senior Xi's "great contribution to the founding of the People's Republic".
