Over the past three decades, Xi had visited the United States six times, from the cornfields of Iowa to the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in California. (Photo : Reuters)
The Ministry of Education and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China have issued guidelines requiring Chinese city-level officials to give political science lectures to university students at least once a semester.
Officials are being asked to teach socialism with relation to China and the Chinese Dream, as well as talking about some speeches of President Xi Jinping.
The guidelines mention that the lectures must also respond to concerns of students and faculty about socialist theory and practice, as well as help students tell right from wrong according to ideology and political theory.
The guidelines require officials to submit their lectures and teaching materials to local publicity departments at least two weeks before the lecture. Authorities will also conduct a survey after each lecture.
Students across China are also being required to attend at least one of these lectures every semester.
According to the guidelines, the lectures aim to "help bridge the gap and build trust between students and the Party, and help students stay focused on their socialist goals and social responsibilities." The guidelines also mentioned improving the image of the officials, especially on the provincial level.
Officials are also encouraged to organize forums and seminars in schools to help promote the socialist ideas of the Party.
In Aug. 2013, Xi said in a speech that colleges must become the breeding grounds of Marxist studies.
Since January, Chinese universities have been pushed to highlight ideological education, as well as promote Marxism, traditional culture, socialist core values and the Chinese Dream.
The Ministry of Education has also been extra careful about the proliferation of Western culture in China.
Education Minister Yuan Guiren said in a meeting on college education in January that textbooks espousing Western ideology and values should not be allowed to enter Chinese classrooms, and he asked for college officials to be more careful with materials taken directly from Western countries.
