Two banyans symbolize Xi's efforts to follow his father's example

The banyan tree is known for its astonishing vitality. No matter how barren the land, even among scattered rocks and broken cliffs, it can break through the soil and proudly reach for the sky.

On March 12, 2000, Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, planted a banyan at his residence in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province. "I also want to put down roots in Shenzhen," he told his staff.

As one of the main pioneers and founders of Guangdong's reform and opening up, Xi Zhongxun's act expressed his wish to take root in the fertile ground of the initiative.

In December 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) made a historic decision to shift the focus of the Party and the country to economic development and to implement reform and opening up, thus initiating a new era of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.

A few months later, Xi Zhongxun, who at the time was the Party chief of Guangdong, proposed that the central government grant Guangdong more autonomy to take the lead in reform and opening up. "Guangdong is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, where many overseas Chinese live. We should fully utilize these favorable conditions to actively engage in foreign economic and technological exchanges," he said.

This bold proposal was the result of Xi Zhongxun's tireless investigations in the province.

Xi Zhongxun's tireless pursuits of reform and opening up

In July 1978, Xi Zhongxun chose Luofang Village in Bao'an County as his first stop for a countryside field trip. The village was divided by a river, with one part in Guangdong and the other in Hong Kong, and he learned that villagers on the Guangdong side made about 134 yuan ($18 according to current exchange rates) on average each year, while the per capita annual income of those across the river was 13,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,664 according to current exchange rates).

In Chung Ying Street, which straddles Hong Kong and present-day Shenzhen, he saw bustling crowds and busy traffic on the Hong Kong side, while the mainland side was overgrown with weeds and desolate. When he visited a lychee orchard and heard farmers lamenting that a kilogram of lychees sold for only eight cents, he became buried in thought.

That summer, Xi Zhongxun visited 23 counties. He then presented a series of groundbreaking reform proposals to the central government, which subsequently lent him support. In March of the following year, the city of Shenzhen was established.

In August 1980, upon other proposals by Xi Zhongxun, the Party and the central government approved the establishment of special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, and Xiamen.

During his more than two years as Party chief in Guangdong, Xi Zhongxun undertook many pioneering tasks.

He led people in Guangdong to explore ways to adjust the rural economic structure. He proposed that, while ensuring self-sufficiency in grain, they should vigorously develop cash crops, animal husbandry, and fisheries, as well as rural enterprises involved in the processing of agricultural and sideline products.

Xi Zhongxun also leveraged Guangdong's geographical advantage of being adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, promoting small-scale border trade and attracting Hong Kong investors to set up processing factories. These innovative measures laid the foundation for Guangdong to take the lead in China's reform and opening-up drive.

Xi Jinping's path to follow his father's footsteps

Xi Zhongxun's lead in undertaking reforms in Guangdong left a profound imprint in his son, Xi Jinping.

In 1982, Xi Jinping voluntarily applied to be transferred to the local administration, leaving his positions in the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the Central Military Commission to take up local posts.

While working in Zhengding in north China's Hebei Province, Xi Jinping found that most enterprises and workplaces in the county lacked sufficient technological talent and technical backbones to varying degrees. He then proposed nine measures to attract talent, including boldly employing and widely accepting all kinds of talents and allowing research project failures without accountability, while still paying wages, bonuses, and travel expenses.

These measures covered various aspects such as distribution systems, personnel systems, grain policies, and household registration management, and were considered groundbreaking at the time.

During his tenure in southeast China's Fujian Province, Xi Jinping distilled the "Jinjiang Experience," outlining directions for county-level economic development, advocating for establishing a single window for foreign economic affairs to streamline administrative procedures, and spearheading reforms in the collective forest tenure system.

During his stint in east China's Zhejiang Province, Xi Jinping introduced the "Double-Eight" strategy, identifying the province's strengths in eight areas and introducing eight measures to take further advantage of these strengths. In Shanghai, he vigorously promoted integration within the Yangtze River Delta region. These reform methods and lessons learned from in-depth local investigations and practical experiences continue to hold practical and guiding significance in the new era.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, reforms such as the overhaul of the household registration system to break down urban-rural barriers, judicial responsibility system reforms to tackle chronic issues of unchecked adjudication, and the ingrained idea that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets have gained widespread acceptance.

The implementation of a negative list system for market access epitomizes ongoing improvements in China's market system. The initiative "streamlining administration, delegating power, and improving regulation and services" has replaced the previous bureaucratic hurdles, marking profound changes in governmental functions.

An American scholar remarked that China's assertive anti-corruption efforts, rule of law reforms, poverty alleviation campaigns, military restructuring, and significant reforms in Party and government institutions all constitute major reforms. An academic involved in drafting documents for the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee recalled, "Without Xi Jinping's determination, many major reforms would have been difficult to achieve."

Similar praise is extended to Xi Zhongxun for his resolute efforts in advancing Guangdong's reform and opening-up initiatives. "If Comrade Xi Zhongxun hadn't sharply and distinctly proposed decentralization, Guangdong would have remained stagnant," a veteran who had worked alongside Xi Zhongxun said. "He transformed the consensus on expanding local autonomy from theoretical exploration into practical action in Guangdong."

Xi Jinping once wrote in a birthday letter to his father, "I learn from your way of being and learn from your way of doing things," epitomizing his endeavors to follow his father's example of being fearless in the face of adversity and take up the baton of reforming China.

In 2012, after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping chose Guangdong for his first local inspection.

At Lianhua Mountain park in Shenzhen, Xi Jinping laid a wreath at Deng Xiaoping's statue and planted a banyan tree. He reflected on the reform paths of previous generations, pondered the reform trajectory, and issued a call for deeper reform.

Today, the two banyan trees planted separately by Xi Zhongxun and Xi Jinping in Shenzhen stand tall and proud. Guangdong served as the starting point for China's reform and opening up, and the nation is now sketching a new blueprint for building a modern socialist country, marching toward the great endeavors of national rejuvenation and building a strong nation. What is needed in China's efforts to further its comprehensive reform is precisely the tenacious spirit symbolized by the banyan tree – rooted deep in fertile soil, unafraid of difficulties and challenges.