BEIJING -- "I have many hobbies. I love reading most," President Xi Jinping once said.

For Xi, reading is more than a personal hobby -- it is a way of life.

As China's top leader, Xi often draws on books that have long enriched his intellectual world, using them as a diplomatic bridge to connect China with the wider world and promote cross-cultural exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilizations.

AN AVID READER

Since childhood, books have been Xi's constant companions and lasting passion. Born into a family of revolutionaries in Beijing, he was raised by parents who valued learning and encouraged their children to read, think, and contribute to the country and its people.

Xi once recalled that his father, Xi Zhongxun, a revolutionary leader, seldom bought toys for him and his siblings, but was far more generous when it came to books -- often taking them to bookstores and letting them choose for themselves.

Chen Qiuying, who taught Xi Chinese in 1965 when he was a teenager, recalled, "The boy was an avid reader of literature and history, particularly captivated by the poetry of Du Fu." Du, the most revered realist poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), was renowned for his profound empathy and deep compassion for the common people, themes that permeated his works.