ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
President Xi Jinping drinks tea -- and perhaps sends a message -- at the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5.   © AFP/Jiji
China up close

Analysis: Xi Jinping's two cups signal there's plenty of hot tea left

With play on 'cold tea' idiom, president signals that retirement is nowhere in sight

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer | China

Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff writer and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He is the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize for international reporting.

TOKYO -- In China, there is the four-character idiom, ren zou, cha liang, which means "Tea turns cold when people move away."

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more