History books

Xi also has a taste for Chinese historical classics, which he described as "the encyclopedia of our ancestors and the summary of our forefathers' knowledge, experience and wisdom."

Once, in a reply letter to graduates studying at the Karamay campus of China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Xi encouraged them to aim high and make contributions to the nation by quoting a sentence from The Book of the Later Han.

"Only those who have lofty aspirations succeed, and only those who brave headwinds make progress", Xi cited the line from the history book.

The Book of the Later Han is one of China's "Twenty-Four Histories" and covers the story of the Eastern Han Dynasty which lasted from AD 25 to 220. The book was compiled in the 5th century.