Born into the Communist party elite and shaped by the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese president stands on the brink of securing historic power
When Xi Jinping was 13 years old, at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution, he was denounced as a counter-revolutionary before a frenzied crowd in Beijing. Among his accusers was his own mother, forced to join in the taunting.
China’s future leader was targeted mostly because his father, a top Communist cadre, was purged by Chairman Mao Zedong. His fall dragged the family down too; Xi’s half-sister died, reportedly after intense abuse.
