Reading with Xi Jinping | Book of Words

On Sept. 7, 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech titled “Promote Friendship Between Our People and Work Together to Build a Bright Future” at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan during his visit to Central Asia.

In his speech, Xi quoted Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev: “The world is an ocean, time is a breath of wind, early waves are elder brothers, and late waves are younger brothers. Generation succeeds generation, even though things seem immutable in their quietude.” By quoting Abai Kunanbayev, Xi expressed his wish that the young generation will have great prospects and make a meaningful difference, as well as his hope in young people as the future of their nation.

Abai Kunanbayev was a world-renowned poet, writer and philosopher in the 19th century. Hailed as the founding father of written literature in the Kazakh language, the “sage of poetry” in Kazakhstan and the “North Star” over the Kazakh steppe, he has also been recognized by UNESCO as an international cultural figure.

Book of Words is one of Kunanbayev’s major works. The book gives a detailed account of problems in politics, economics, culture, education, ethics, customs and other aspects in Kazakhstan during the 19th century. The book is full of his profound reflections, worries and expectations about life, love and hate, as well as the fate of the country and the Kazakh nation. It embodies Kunanbayev’s thoughts and devotion.

Who among us has not known trouble? Only the weak lose hope. Nothing in this world is immutable, and misfortune cannot last forever. Does not the bountiful and blossoming spring follow the harsh winter?

If you want your labors to be successful, start the job in hand wisely.

While you are seeking happiness, everybody wishes you well; but once you have attained it, your only well-wisher is yourself.

Kunanbayev’s classic quotes are an unparalleled spiritual legacy left to the world by the Kazakh nation.