# Peng Liyuan

Peng Liyuan (Chinese: 彭丽媛) (born 20 November 1962) is a Chinese soprano and contemporary folk singer and the spouse of Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of the People's Republic of China.

## Quotes

* A child’s first teacher is its mother. Making sure that mothers are educated means we can lift more people out of poverty and build a more inclusive and sustainable society.
** "China’s Peng Liyuan named UNESCO envoy for advancing education of women, girls" in UNESCO (27 March 2014)
* Young people need good education because it is not only about giving them knowledge and skills but also helping them become responsible citizens.
** "All children having access to education is my Chinese dream: First Lady Peng" in China Daily Asia (27 September 2015)

### “Together, we will make tomorrow’s world a better place through education” (2021) (excerpts)

Source
* The eradication of poverty and the realization of gender equality are ideals shared by all mankind, and an aspiration shared by women all over the world. The access to equitable and quality education ensures that women are able to draw the power of self-reliance from knowledge and skills. This will help them to lift themselves out of poverty and to embrace a happy life. In addition, they would be in a position to utilize this power to make contributions to society, and to pass it on to empower future generations – thus stopping the intergenerational transmission of poverty.
* I have visited many countries and talked to people from all walks of life. I have observed many women lift themselves out of poverty and change their fate through education. I would like to share with you some of China’s experiences and practices in this regard. Through continuous endeavour, China has achieved the goal of eliminating absolute poverty. We have always stressed that for poverty alleviation, we must first provide knowledge and skills. The development of education is a very important measure to achieve this.
* China considers the education of girls and women from poor families a top priority, and seeks to safeguard girls’ right to education with a host of measures. These include building schools, exempting girls from tuition and miscellaneous fees, and offering them grants and nutritious meals. In addition, we have introduced various skills training programmes for women – which take regional characteristics and the local needs of women into account and help them increase their income.
* While Covid-19 continues to spread across the world, it is our shared wish that no girl is left behind because of the pandemic.
* Education is essential to enable us to understand and respect nature.
* As long as we stand in solidarity and work, together, every problem is surmountable.
* Through education, we can teach future generations to appreciate the diversity of civilizations.
* We need to explore innovation, use new methods and adopt new technologies to address new problems – so that high-quality educational resources can be offered to more girls, and they can continue their education in flexible and diverse ways.
* We need to explore innovation, use new methods and adopt new technologies to address new problems – so that high-quality educational resources can be offered to more girls, and they can continue their education in flexible and diverse ways.
* I believe the education of the future should focus on helping people to improve their abilities in three key areas. First, the ability to live in harmony with nature – humans and nature constitute the community of life. In the face of challenges like climate change and the deterioration of the environment, education is essential to enable us to understand and respect nature, so that production models and lifestyles that are conducive to sustainable development can be fostered.
* People will then take the initiative to adapt themselves to protect nature and look after the Earth, the only home shared by all mankind. Second, the education of the future must focus on the ability to live in harmony with people from different countries and cultures. Different histories, national conditions, ethnic groups, and customs have given birth to many different civilizations and created a world rich in diversity. Through education, we can teach future generations about the cultures of other countries and nations, so that they appreciate the diversity of civilizations, and respect other people’s choices of development paths and lifestyles, while upholding their own cultural traditions and coexisting in harmony.
* Third, the education of the future should impart the ability to learn, innovate, and apply new technologies. Given the explosion of knowledge and technologies, future education should encourage people to think innovatively and pursue lifelong learning. Digital education should be boosted, and people trained to use the internet, big data, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to deal better with the changes in our world. I'm convinced that together, we will make tomorrow’s world a better place through education.
* Living in one and the same global village, humanity is evolving into an interlinked community with a shared future. Women have the power to promote the development of human civilization and create a better future for mankind. Education for girls and women can awaken, enhance and fully unleash this wonderful power.
* When education is used to empower women and greater progress is made to promote it, we will be able to work at full throttle to build community with a shared future for mankind.
* As UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education, I am ready to further fulfil my responsibility and join hands with every one of you to make sure that more girls and women are loved, confident, and empowered.

## About Peng Liyuan

* In contrast to the past, Peng Liyuan pays more attention to public exchange and communication, so that people of other countries may know more about China and our national image can be enhanced. Peng Liyuan’s diplomacy is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Besides the historical inevitability, it also has the following reasons: on one hand her dignified and generous appearance is in line with Chinese expectations on traditional women.
** Chen Zhu, Transnational Communication of National Soft Power - Taking Peng Liyuan's Diplomatic Activities as Example (2015)