The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping

China's leader, Xi Jinping, is one of the most powerful individuals in the world ‒ and one of the least understood. Much can be learned, however, about both Xi Jinping and the nature of the party he leads from the memory and legacy of his father, the revolutionary Xi Zhongxun (1913–2002). The elder Xi served the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for more than seven decades. He worked at the right hand of prominent leaders Zhou Enlai and Hu Yaobang.

Susanna Garside

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the DPIR as a member of the Climate Vulnerability Project, led by Professor Federica Genovese. My work focuses on public opinion and political behaviour related to climate change, the politics of environmental change, and the political economy of climate change mitigation and adaptation. I received my PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy in 2025.

Yujing Lisa Fan

Lisa (Yujing) Fan is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Comparative Politics at the University of Oxford, where she is a member of the Democratic Values and Authoritarian Legitimacy (DEVAL) research project. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College. Her research uses machine learning and natural language processing to study authoritarianism, gender, and political communication, with a focus on how women navigate and advance in authoritarian politics.

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