The UK Chinese Overseas Chinese Newspaper recently interviewed Ke Lingling, Xi Jinping’s former wife in the UK. She is two years older than Xi, married from 1979 to 1982 for three years, and divorced. She studied in the UK after the divorce and is now a doctor and professor. This is the first disclosure of Xi’s early marital status.
Ke Lingling, 64, Xi Jinping’s former wife, was interviewed by the Overseas Chinese Newspaper in the UK.
Born in 1951, 64-year-old Ke Xiaoming (Ke Lingling) is the youngest daughter of Ke Hua, the former Chinese Ambassador to the UK, and she is also Xi Jinping’s former wife. Ke Lingling, who is well-educated, is currently a senior director at a private hospital in London and a visiting professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She recently accepted an interview with the British “Overseas Chinese Newspaper”.
Ke Lingling married Xi Jinping in 1979. Because of different values and personalities, she divorced Xi Jinping, who had been married for three years, in 1982 and immigrated to the UK. At that time, Xi Jinping was running for secretary of Zhengding County. Xi Jinping resolutely gave up the opportunity to immigrate to the UK with Ke Lingling and accused Ke Lingling of coveting the prosperity of the West. After repeated persuasion to make Xi Jinping immigrate was ineffective, the two eventually went their separate ways.
Do you think you regret divorcing Xi Jinping?
Ke: In that era, divorce was actually a very important thing. My marriage with Xi Jinping was very short, and the most important point was that we had almost nothing in common, so there is no regret. He used to be a very persistent person, wanting to do a great job. Anyway, it seemed that he didn’t listen to anything I said, so I chose the path of divorce. Distance cannot create a real marriage and feelings for us. My father was very opposed to it at the time, and he always thought I was reckless.
Have you been in contact with each other since then?
Ke: In the first three years after I went to the UK, he called me almost every week. You know, it was not convenient to make calls from China to the UK in that era. China had not yet popularized telephones, and the conditions were not as good as they are now, but I did not answer a single call, which made him very sad. I know that he also tried to salvage this marriage, but I was determined at the time. Over time, we didn’t have much contact. I know he still has this feeling in his heart.
Did you think at the time that Xi Jinping would become the leader of China?
Ke: No, I didn’t think that way at all. I am very happy for him to become the President of China, because when I left him, he was only a section-level cadre. He is a person with great ideals, and I have always thought that he has great potential, but at that time his potential was useless to me.
What kind of person do you think Xi Jinping is in your heart?
Ke: Although we often quarreled and had great differences when I was with him, I still think he is an upright person. He will not, like others, do some self-serving things against his conscience. This is what I valued very much about him before. I used to think he was too stubborn, and it may also be because we didn’t spend much time together, and I didn’t know him very well. Looking back now, in fact, many of the things he did were right, but I was too young and impulsive back then. He is not an idealist; he does things with plans and steps. I may be more idealistic. After all, women like men who know how to be romantic, but Xi Jinping is not. I often feel that he is too rigid, which has a lot to do with our growing environment and educational background.
In the many years after the divorce, have you not seen each other?
Ke: When he was still the Vice President of the country, we met once in Shenzhen. That was me, my sister, and my father going back to Shenzhen to sweep the graves. He came to Shenzhen to inspect the work and comforted my father, and I was there at the time. He shook hands with our whole family, including me. It was actually a very awkward meeting. We sat together for about half an hour and talked about some things. I only felt that he looked much older.
Xi Jinping will visit the UK in October, what are your expectations?
Ke: The Chinese Embassy has already invited me through some channels to attend a welcome banquet as a representative of the British Chinese community. It is beneficial to both China and the UK for him to visit the UK for the first time three years after he took office as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. As a Chinese in the UK, I feel very honored and happy.
Source: UK Chinese Overseas Chinese Newspaper, August 30, 2015
Discover more from 自由档案馆
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.