"Xi, in a recent visit to Xi'an Jiaotong University, emphasized that great historical progress often follows major disasters. He believes that China's resilience and growth have been shaped by adversity and suffering. Xi, drawing from his own experiences of hardship, sees the pandemic as an opportunity to redeem the party from early mistakes and to bolster national pride amidst international criticism. State propaganda is supporting Xi's leadership in combating the pandemic. As the National People's Congress approaches, Xi aims to translate his calls for unity into action, focusing on restoring the pre-pandemic agenda and eradicating extreme poverty while warning against complacency in preventing a second wave of infections." He must navigate through challenging diplomatic and economic conditions while leading the country, which are said to be as tough as those faced during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. According to Carl Minzner, a professor at Fordham University, there is a lot of political risk for Xi if he fails to effectively manage his role as a leader. Xi has positioned himself as the essential leader protecting China from difficult threats, which has garnered support from party members and the public, despite concerns about the mishandling of the outbreak. Jude Blanchette, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, believes that freezing time at the beginning of February would have been damaging for Chinese leadership. Xi appeared in public for the first time during the crisis just two days after ordering the lockdown of Wuhan in late January. He led an uncommon televised meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top political body, during a time when thousands were infected and many had died. According to a detailed report in the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, he solemnly spoke to the committee about his struggles sleeping the night before the Lunar New Year holiday. Xi also briefly stepped back from his usual dominant role, allowing others to take center stage. Premier Li Keqiang initially took charge of the government's emergency response during the crisis, possibly to shield himself from blame if the situation worsened. As China brought the outbreak under control, the party's propaganda shifted back to focus on Xi Jinping, pushing Li into the background. Despite delivering the keynote report to the National People's Congress, Xi is expected to dominate media coverage and provide guidance to provincial leaders and delegates. There is little indication that Xi has been humbled by the early failures in the country's response to the disease or by international criticism. Xi claimed at the World Health Assembly that China has consistently acted with transparency and responsibility. Xi has cautioned that China is dealing with a world that is becoming more uncertain. Despite his optimistic outlook for the future, he has also issued warnings about the possibility of an economic crisis, foreign conflicts, or political instability. In a recent address to the Politburo Standing Committee, he emphasized the need to prepare for prolonged changes in global conditions, especially in light of the current international epidemic and economic challenges. One of the biggest obstacles facing China is its economy, which recently experienced its first contraction in over forty years. The increasing wealth of millions of Chinese people has long been a key factor in the Communist Party's authority. Recently, during visits to three provinces, Xi has focused on returning to the policy agenda that was in place before the coronavirus pandemic. Xi traveled to Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, wearing his usual dark blue windbreaker and a mask indoors, and visited various locations such as factories, ports, government offices, and scenic spots in an effort to bring life back to normal while implementing new measures to prevent infection. In rural villages, he has shown particular interest in crops like wood ear fungus and chrysanthemum, which are important for his poverty alleviation efforts. He informed a lively group of villagers in Shaanxi that the wood ear fungus they produce is well-known and can help lift them out of poverty. Despite the Communist Party's carefully crafted image of China overcoming the epidemic, footage of Xi's visit to Xi'an Jiaotong University revealed that life is still far from normal. The enthusiastic crowd of students and professors who greeted Xi appeared to have been arranged, as the university was mostly closed. Xi humorously pointed out that school had not yet resumed, yet everyone was there to welcome him.