Qi Xin

Qi Xin
Qi Xin
	Qi in the 1940s
Native name	齊心
Born	3 November 1926 (age 97); Kaoyang County, Hebei, China
Education	Counter-Japanese Military and Political University
Alma mater	Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party
Spouse	Xi Zhongxun
Children	4, including Qi Qiaoqiao; Xi Jinping; Xi Yuanping

Qi Xin (simplified Chinese: 齐心; traditional Chinese: 齊心; born 3 November 1926) is a Chinese author and member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who wrote various articles on her husband, Chinese communist revolutionary Xi Zhongxun. She is the mother of Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, also known as the paramount leader.

Early life

Qi Xin was born in Gaoyang County, Hebei on November 3, 1926. Her father, Qi Houzhi (齐厚之), was the head of the law bureau in the Nationalist government's Third Army during the Northern Expedition.^[1]

In 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Qi was attending a girl's middle school in Beiping, modern Beijing.^[2] After Beiping fell to the Japanese army, her elder sister Yun (Chinese: 云) took her to Tunliu County, Shanxi, where Yun joined the Eighth Route Army.^[3] Yun sent her younger sibling to the schoolgirl's team of the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University, which had set up a branch school in Tunliu.^[2]

Later in the winter of 1939, Qi transferred to the female cadre's branch of the Cadre's School in Changzhi County, where she served as a team leader.^[1] She participated in fighting at Yincheng and Xihuo town.^[2] Qi entered the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party in 1941, then was sent to Yan'an University's middle school in 1942.^[2] She married Xi Zhongxun in April 1944, then after graduating school later that year, Qi went to a rural village to work.^[3]

Career

In 1952, Qi moved with her husband to Beijing so that he could serve as head of the propaganda department. In 1953, Qi enrolled in the Marx School of Communism. After graduating, Qi continued work at the institute, which was located quite far from the family home and required her husband to look after their children.^[3] Qi visited provincial and county-level schools set-up by the communist government as a consultant.^[4] It has been suggested that this position provided her family with relatively good protection during the Cultural Revolution, when her husband was denounced, but not imprisoned.^[2] Qi was asked to accompany Xi to Luoyang in 1975, however, to look after him whilst he was still under investigation.^[4]

A documentary about Qi was made in 2001, detailing her revolutionary background, titled Loyal and Dependable——Qi Xin wife of Xi Zhongxun (Chinese: 忠贞——习仲勋的夫人齐心; pinyin: zhōngzhēn——Xí Zhòngxūn de fūren Qí Xīn). The piece also emphasised the education she has given her children and the high expectations she had of their work.^[5]

Personal life

Qi met Xi Zhongxun in 1943 whilst studying at the middle school in Suide County. At the time, Xi was still married to his first wife, Hao Mingzhu (Chinese: 郝明珠), with whom he had three children.^[2] Later, the head of education at the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University wrote to Xi, introducing Qi Xin, after having met her sister and father. After sending Xi her own autobiographical introduction, the two married at the prefectural party office in Suide County on 28 April 1944.^[3] The couple had their first child in 1949, a daughter named Qiaoqiao (Chinese: 桥桥), followed by another daughter in 1952 named An'an (Chinese: 安安), and two sons named Jinping and Yuanping (Chinese: 远平).^[3] Following the births of each of her children, Qi only stayed at home until the baby was weaned before returning to her work.^[6] She came home at most once each week.^[6] The family led a frugal and austere lifestyle, not having shoes for the younger sons.^[7]

Qi's younger brother, Qi Bu (Chinese: 齊步) (also known as Qi Ruixin (Chinese: 齊銳新)) (d.1987),^[8] was vice party secretary of the China National Gold Group and a top official in the gold and mineral exploration arm of the People’s Armed Police.^[9] CCP leader Xi Jinping considered him "very close".^[10]

Qi's nephew and first cousin to Xi Jinping, the son of Qi Bu, Chai Ming (Chinese: 齊明) was the chairman of Shenzhen ZTE Zhongxing Keyang Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. and director of GQY Video. Chai gained media attention for gambling US$39 million at Melbourne, Australia's Crown casino in one period of 18 months.^[10]^[9]

Family

Xi Zhongxun (husband) (15 October 1913 – 24 May 2002)
- Qi Qiaoqiao (b. 1 March 1949)
  - married Deng Jiagui (b. 1951)
- Qi An'an (b. 1952)
  - married Wu Lung
- Xi Jinping (b. 15 June 1953)
  - married and divorced Ke Lingling
  - married Peng Liyuan (b. 20 November 1962) and have one daughter, Xi Mingze (b. 25 June 1992)
- Xi Yuanping (b. November 1956)
  - married Zhang Lanlan

Written works

Qi 齐, Xin 心 (2013). "习仲勋蒙冤十六年" [Xi Zhongsun has been wronged these past 16 years]. Dangjian Wenhui. Xiabanyue ban (in Chinese) (11): 48.
Qi 齐, Xin 心 (14 December 2011). "我与习仲勋风雨相伴的55年" [55 years of accompanying each other through trials and hardships: Xi Zhongxun and I]. Laorenbao. A28 (in Chinese). Retrieved 27 April 2017.

References

^ ^a ^b "习仲勋夫人齐心家事:父女分属国共两党" [The family politics of Xi Zhongxun's wife, Qi Xin: Father and daughters split between the Nationalist Party and Communist Party]. Lingdao Wencui (in Chinese) (24): 61–65. 2015. doi:10.13533/j.cnki.ldwc.2015.24.013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Mingjing 明镜 (14 February 2011). "习近平母亲能力超人没有她就没有今天的"王储"(图)" [The superhuman powers of Xi Jinping's mother: without her, there would be no "crown prince" today (gallery)]. Wenxue City. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Xu 許, 心怡, ed. (27 May 2013). "習近平"家風"揭秘齊心自述與習仲勛婚姻往事" [Xi Jinping's "family traditions" are unmasked: Qi Xin's autobiographical account of her marriage to Xi Zhongxun]. Renmin Wang (in Chinese). Retrieved 27 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b Hu 胡, Shihou 世厚 (2013). "缅怀习老——纪念习仲勋同志诞辰100周年" [In commemoration of Old Xi: Remembering comrade Xi Zhongxun on his 100th birthday]. Dangshi Bolan (in Chinese) (5): 17–21.
^ Li 李, Ying 英 (10 April 2015). "远翠西里社区组织学员观看《忠贞—习仲勋的夫人齐心》纪录片" [Yuancui Xili Community Organisation members watch the documentary "Loyal and Dependable——Qi Xin wife of Xi Zhongxun"]. Dongxin Street Party Working Committee and Agency (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 May 2017.
^ ^a ^b Lary, Diana (2022). China's grandmothers : gender, family, and aging from late Qing to twenty-first century. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-009-06478-1. OCLC 1292532755.
^ "资讯_凤凰网".
^ 編輯部 (6 March 2015). 第24輯: 習近平家中事. 調查雜誌社. ISBN 9781630328238.
^ ^a ^b Cave, Damien; Stevenson, Alexandra (2 August 2019). "The Gambling Investigation Scrutinizing Xi Jinping's High-Rolling Cousin". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b Wen, Philip; Wong, Chun Han (30 July 2019). "Chinese President Xi Jinping's Cousin Draws Scrutiny of Australian Authorities". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 August 2019.