Xi's Ascension From Princeling To 'President For Life'

The man was expected to be the most liberal Communist Party leader in China's history; he has turned out to be anything but.

Personality

Xi Jinping, the son of Xi Zhongxun, a Chinese revolutionary hero and vice premier, is considered by many to be a "princeling." But, his childhood is not a tale of constant privilege. Mao targeted his father during the Cultural Revolution and deposed him from office. Xi, a teenager then, was exiled to the countryside, where he hauled grains and slept in cave houses as part of Mao's down to the countryside movement. The experience toughened up the young boy from an elite political family.