Xi Story: A letter from a migrant worker

With the year-end fast approaching, the wellbeing of a particular group of people will be at the forefront of Chinese President Xi Jinping's mind and actions.

China is home to 286 million migrant workers, who, after a year of hardwork in cities, are usually heading home for the year-end and Spring Festival celebrations.

In early December, Xi chaired a key Party leadership meeting, at which the issue of migrant workers' wage payment was being stressed again.

Throughout his career, Xi has shown tremendous respect for migrant workers and acknowledged the part they have played in China's economic miracle.

In November 1999, when Xi was deputy Party chief and acting governor of Fujian Province in east China, he received an anonymous letter, signed-off simply with "an ordinary migrant worker."

The writer complained about the institutional difficulties faced by the children of migrant workers when enrolling in schools in the province's capital city of Fuzhou.

The letter received an immediate response from Xi. "More attention should be paid to migrant workers' lives, to create an environment where their enthusiasm can be better brought into play," Xi instructed local government.

Within a month, a new set of measures had been implemented to improve migrant children's access to education in the city. The letter's author, Su Renshou, and his fellow workers rejoiced that their worries had been finally addressed.

 

Letters are just one way that Xi has listened to the voices of migrant workers over the decades. From panel discussions with migrant worker deputies at the "two sessions" or casual conversations during inspections, he has aspired to listen to the people.

"When formulating policies, we should put ourselves in the shoes of migrant workers and focus on issues that need our attention and support the most," Xi once said.