The "road Toward Rejuvenation" exhibition was a well-thought-out, and very fitting, venue for Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of Central Committee, to share his thoughts on the Chinese Dream.

And the collective visit he made with the other six members of the CPC Central Committee Politburo itself was highly symbolic.

The exhibition graphically illustrates the nation's and the Chinese people's tenacious fumbling for directions in the past decades, its frustrations as well as achievements.

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest Chinese Dream of modern China, Xi said. The country has never been as close to that goal, and the nation has never been so confident and capable of achieving it.

Xi displayed the same confidence and optimism his predecessor, former Party chief Hu Jintao, did at the 18th National Congress of the CPC. Which derived from a shared faith in the chosen road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"Road determines fate," Xi said and urged the Party to adhere to that path, which he described as "the right road in the human world" to be followed "unswervingly". Like Hu, he again demonstrated the CPC's dedication to the set course, which translates literally into reform and opening-up.

While reiterating the promises of building the country into a "well-to-do society in an all-round way" by the 100th anniversary of the CPC, and a prosperous and strong, democratic and civilized power by that of the People's Republic, Xi warned there is a "very long way to go" to turn these blueprints into reality.

The nation needs such a wake-up call from the illusion that such a day is well within reach. The day will not come without long-term and arduous toil, Xi admonished. Its realization still calls for the collective efforts of generations.

The realistic aspect of the new CPC helmsman could not be more obvious when he made the statement that "empty talk harms the country, hard work prospers the nation".

The new leadership faces many imperative tasks, from addressing rampant corruption to handling the prevailing discontent over income gaps. But Xi's no-nonsense style has inspired high hopes that such an approach will be shared across the CPC's ranks.

However, the challenge lies in transforming talkers into doers. Hard work is the only way to fulfill the Chinese Dream.

(China Daily 11/30/2012 page8)