How Xi Jinping's daughter ended up at Harvard
The only daughter of Chinese President Xi Jinping and renowned soprano Peng Liyuan, Xi Mingze has spent most of her life cloaked in secrecy. From carefully staged public appearances to tightly controlled media coverage, her existence has been shielded by the full weight of the Chinese state.
Yet, in what now seems like a geopolitical paradox, Xi's daughter spent her formative academic years in the United States—under the radar, but very much within its borders.
Early Education and the Road to Harvard
Xi Mingze began her academic journey at Hangzhou Foreign Language School (2006–2008), where she studied French, before briefly enrolling at Zhejiang University. Like many children of China's political elite, she was quietly groomed for overseas education—particularly in the West, where brand-name universities serve as both a rite of passage and a marker of status.
In 2010, she enrolled at Harvard University in the US under a pseudonym, a routine measure taken by families of senior Chinese officials to maintain discretion and security abroad. She graduated in 2014 with a degree in Psychology, her presence on campus shielded from public attention and, reportedly, protected by security personnel linked to China's military.
The Trump Paradox
Read:
How China became a liability for Harvard
Xi Mingze's education in the US took place just before Donald Trump stormed into Washington with a campaign that painted China as America's greatest threat.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
3.5, 4.5 BHK Homes starting at ₹4.68 Cr.*
Hero Homes
Learn More
Undo
Yet, by the time she was rumoured to have returned to Harvard for postgraduate studies around 2019, the Trump administration was already knee-deep in a trade war, cutting research visas, blacklisting Chinese tech firms, and warning of espionage on American campuses.
That the daughter of the Chinese President may have quietly studied in Massachusetts while Trump's officials were accusing Chinese scholars of infiltrating US academia is a detail loaded with irony.
The president who decried Beijing's reach into the West may have unknowingly overseen its most elite export.
Neither Beijing nor Washington has ever confirmed whether Xi Mingze returned to Harvard in 2019. But the speculation persists—and has only grown louder in the wake of fresh visa restrictions targeting Chinese nationals tied to the Communist Party or sensitive research fields.
Why America?
A Tradition Among the Elite
For decades, Western universities—especially in the UK and US—have served as educational finishing schools for China's political royalty.
From Deng Xiaoping's descendants to Xi Jinping's daughter, the Ivy League represents more than academic excellence—it's a social passport and a strategic asset.
Controlled Anonymity
Given the scrutiny surrounding her father, Xi Mingze's identity was kept hidden throughout her time at Harvard. The use of an alias, restricted media access, and enhanced security ensured her privacy in a way few global figures could achieve.
Where Is She Now?
Her current whereabouts remain unconfirmed. Reports continue to place her in Massachusetts, possibly living under diplomatic or state protection, while others suggest she quietly returned to Beijing following her graduation. With neither capital commenting officially, her situation is emblematic of the opaque world she was born into.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
24 minutes ago
- Mint
US hiring likely slowed to 1,30,000 new jobs last month amid uncertainty over Trumps policies
Washington, The American job market likely continued to slow last month, hobbled by worries over President Donald Trump's trade wars, deportations and purges of the federal workforce. The Labour Department's numbers on May hiring Friday are expected to show that businesses, government agencies and nonprofits added 1,30,000 jobs last month. That would be down from 1,77,000 in April but enough to stay ahead of people entering the workforce and keep the unemployment rate at a low 4.2 per cent, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Mainstream economists expect Trump's policies to take a toll on America's economy, the world's largest. His massive taxes on imports – tariffs – are expected to raise costs for US companies that buy raw materials, equipment and components from overseas and force them to cut back hiring or even lay workers off. Billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has slashed federal workers and cancelled government contracts. Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration is expected to make it harder for businesses to find enough workers. For the most part, though, any damage has yet to show up in the government's economic data. The US economy and job market have proven surprisingly resilient in recent years. When the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve raised their benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, the higher borrowing costs were widely expected to tip the United States into a recession. Instead, the economy kept growing and employers kept hiring. But former Fed economist Claudia Sahm warns that the job market of 2025 isn't nearly as durable as the two or three years ago when immigrants were pouring into the US job market and employers were posting record job openings. 'Any signs of weakness in the data this week would stoke fears of a recession again,' Sahm, now chief economist at New Century Advisors, wrote in a Substack post this week. 'It's too soon to see the full effects of tariffs, DOGE, or other policies on the labour market; softening now would suggest less resilience to those later effects, raising the odds of a recession.' Recent economic reports have sent mixed signals. The Labour Department reported Tuesday that US job openings rose unexpectedly to 7.4 million in April – seemingly a good sign. But the same report showed that layoffs ticked up and the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell, a sign they were less confident they could find something better elsewhere. Surveys by the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, found that both American manufacturing and services businesses were contracting last month. And the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level in eight months. Jobless claims — a proxy for layoffs — still remain low by historical standards, suggesting that employers are reluctant to cut staff despite uncertainty over Trump's policies. They likely remember how hard it was to bring people back from the massive but short-lived layoffs of the 2020 COVID-19 recession as the US economy bounced back with unexpected strength. Still, the job market has clearly decelerated. So far this year, American employers have added an average 1,44,000 jobs a month. That is down from 1,68,000 last year; 2,16,000 in 2023; 3,80,000 in 2022, and a record 6,03,000 in 2021 in the rebound from COVID-19 layoffs. Trump's tariffs — and the erratic way he rolls them out, suspends them and conjures up new ones — have already buffeted the economy. America's gross domestic product — the nation's output of goods and services — fell at a 0.2 per cent annual pace from January through March this year. A surge of imports shaved 5 percentage points off growth during the first quarter as companies rushed to bring in foreign products ahead of Trump's tariffs. Imports plunged by a record 16 per cent in April as Trump's levies took effect. The drop in foreign goods could mean fewer jobs at the warehouses that store them and the trucking companies that haul them around, wrote Michael Madowitz, an economist at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute. NPK NPK This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
No official version of Bharat Mata portrait, so cannot be allowed in govt events: Kerala government
The Left government in Kerala on Friday made it clear that it was not in agreement with the use of the Bharat Mata portrait at the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan here as the picture was not authorised as the official version by the Constitution or the Indian government. Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad , who boycotted the event at the Raj Bhavan a day ago over the use of the portrait, said that those in constitutional offices cannot convert government programmes into political events . A similar view was also expressed by state General Education Minister V Sivankutty who said that the Raj Bhavan and the Governor were above politics and said that Arlekar should withdraw from the stand taken by him. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like El patrimonio de Palito Ortega conmociona al mundo. Boite A Scoop Undo The government's stand came a day after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata. Prasad, while talking to a TV channel, said that no Bharat Mata portrait has ever been acknowledged as the official or authorised version by the Constitution or any of the governments in power since independence. Live Events He further said that the portrait about to be used at the event was not carrying the Indian flag, but that of a political organisation, and therefore, it could not be honoured during a government event. The minister said that the particular political organisation and the Governor were free to pay homage to the portrait at private events, but it cannot be done in state government programmes. "We all have a political view, but those in constitutional positions have restrictions on how they express it," he added. He said that the government view was that such a stand ought not to have been taken by a constitutional establishment and expressed hope that it will be corrected by the concerned persons. "It actually should not be repeated in our country. We cannot accept it in Kerala," he added. The minister also questioned why the Governor was "rigid" on the issue, when none of the earlier Governors in the state and not even the Presidents of the country have carried out such a practice in the past. For the World Environment Day event, the Raj Bhavan came out with a minute-to-minute programme, but it initially did not have anything about paying floral tributes to the portrait of Bharat Mata, he said. On eve of the programme, a new schedule was sent to us and it included the paying of floral tribute to Bharat Mata portrait. "So, I enquired with the Raj Bhavan about the floral tributes and asked them to send me a picture of the portrait. The portrait was the one used by the RSS and was not recognised or authorised as an official version, I informed the Raj Bhavan that we cannot offer floral tributes to it," he said. The minister said that the Raj Bhavan in response said they cannot remove the portrait. On being told that the opposition was criticising the lack of response on the issue by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Prasad said that the Congress-led UDF was trying to gain political mileage out of it especially in view of the upcoming bypoll in Nilambur assembly constituency. After knowing Raj Bhavan's stand, the state government relocated the event to the Secretariat's Durbar Hall and the Raj Bhavan went ahead with its programme. Later, in a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan, the Governor said, "Whatever be the pressure, from whichever quarters, there will be no compromise whatsoever on Bharat Mata." In his speech at the Raj Bhavan programme, the Governor said two ministers--state Education Minister and Agriculture Minister--had agreed to attend the function but they did not turn up for the event. While Sangh outfit Bharatiya Vichara Kendram strongly backed the Governor, the ruling CPI(M) and the Congress criticised the Raj Bhavan on the matter.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
SC refuses to urgently hear plea against order allowing animal slaughter for Eid-ul-Azha at 'dargah'
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to accord urgent hearing on a plea challenging the Bombay High Court order which permitted animal slaughter for Eid-ul-Azha and Urs at a 'dargah' at Vishalgad fort in Maharashtra 's Kolhapur district. The fort is a protected monument, citing which the authorities had prohibited slaughtering of animals and birds on the premises. The plea challenging the high court's June 3 order was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Air conditioners without external unit. (click to see prices) Air Condition | Search Ads Search Now Undo "Tomorrow, Bakri Eid is there and in a protected monument, Vishalgad, in Maharashtra, the high court has permitted slaughter," the counsel, who mentioned the matter, said. He said the high court has allowed animal slaughter in the protected monument area also for Urs till June 12. Live Events "In protected monuments, so many religious activities are going on," the bench observed. The lawyer claimed there was a specific notification of the state of Maharashtra which said animals cannot be slaughtered in the protected area. He said last year, animal slaughter within enclosed premises was permitted by the high court. The counsel said the high court has said in its order that restrictions which were there last year, would apply this year also. "Be it of any religion or faith, in a protected monument, so many activities are going on," the bench observed. "Let me tell you, sitting in Tripura (high court), I had banned animal slaughter there and then this court modified the order to say, in an enclosed place it would be carried out," Justice Karol said. The counsel then urged the bench to list the matter for hearing next week. "What is the urgency? The matter would be infructuous ," the bench observed. A vacation bench of the high court had heard an application by Hazrat Peer Malik Rehan Dargah Trust , seeking permission for slaughtering animals. The high court had permitted animal slaughter for Eid-ul-Azha to be celebrated on June 7 and the four-day Urs (fair) to be held from June 8 to 12 at the 'dargah' at Vishalgad fort. It had said the order shall extend not just to the 'dargah' trust but to other devotees too. The high court had said similar permission was granted last year too. It had added that conditions imposed last year like carrying out the animal slaughter only in private and enclosed space specifically at Gate No. 19, which is privately-owned by Mubarak Usman Mujawar, and not in public areas, shall apply this year too. The Deputy Director of Archaeology had prohibited animal sacrifice at the fort, citing the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. The trust argued that the sacrifice was an "age-old practice" conducted on private land 1.4 km away from the fort, and that the meat was distributed to pilgrims and villagers nearby.
