Editor's note: This 100-episode podcast explains how China works. Exploring Xi Jinping Thought and how the Chinese president's approach has shaped the governance of China, the podcast recounts the country's growth story to help you truly understand its success and challenges.

Our splendid culture is the joint creation of all ethnic groups. Chinese culture is the synthesis of various ethnic cultures. All ethnic groups in China have written great works such as the Book of Songs, the Songs of Chu, Poetry in the Han Dynasty, Poetry of the Tang Dynasty, Song Poems, the Opera from Yuan Dynasty, and novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They have inherited great epic works such as the Epic of King Gesar, the Epic of Manas and the Epic of Jangar, and built great projects such as the Great Wall, ancient irrigation system Dujiangyan, Grand Canal, Imperial Palace, Potala Palace, and the system for transporting water Qanat. What makes the Chinese culture so splendid and profound lies in its inclusiveness.

Now that Chinese socialism has entered a new era, the Chinese nation can look forward to the best period of development in history. But as we still face a complex domestic and international situation, we should unite more than ever as one and pool strengths to ensure that our country continues to progress steadily.

All ethnic groups as one family – this is one of the fundamental guarantees for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. To make the Chinese Dream come true, we must focus on heightening a sense of identity of the Chinese nation, and take the cause of ethnic unity and progress as a fundamental task. We must fully implement our Party's theories and policies concerning ethnic groups, work together for common prosperity and development, and help all ethnic groups remain as closely united as the seeds of a pomegranate, so that the Chinese nation will become a more inclusive and cohesive community.

(Source: Extract from Xi Jinping's remarks at a gathering to honor national role models for ethnic unity and progress in Beijing, capital of China, September 27, 2019.)

This episode is presented by Pan Deng.