Several years ago, this comparison photo was popular online in China.
In the black-and-white photo on the left, Xi Jinping carries a hoe.
In the late 1980s, 36-year-old Xi was serving as the secretary of the prefectural Party committee in Ningde, southeast China’s Fujian Province. On this day, he was working with his colleagues to repair a canal.
His colleagues said that he was "not a leader who sits in the office and listens to reports". He always spent a month or so going to the countryside to carry out research.
In the color photo on the right, Xi is relaxed with a shovel on his shoulder.
The photo was taken on April 8, 2019, when Xi and his colleagues took part in a voluntary tree planting activity in Tongzhou, Beijing.
Agricultural workers tend to have the habit of resting tools on their shoulders.
Xi has been a farmer in the rural areas of northern Shaanxi and is very proficient in using agricultural tools.
Internet users put together the two photos spanning 30 years, which form a magical contrast.
Whether as a local cadre or the top leader, Xi has always regarded himself as a worker and has maintained the true nature of a worker.
