When I was reading this today, it made me think it has many similarities to the jesus story. It's easy to see how someone is promoted to become an eternal leader.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pi...es-party-elders-as-he-marches-toward-3rd-term
I'll copy & paste some quotes from the article so you can see the similarities....
...........A political document released in a rural part of China has raised eyebrows for including an unprecedented expression to praise President Xi Jinping.
It was a combination of the word "eternal" and "
lingxiu" (leader).
A communique issued after a Communist Party meeting in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region noted that it is necessary to be loyal to the core leader, "support the leader forever, defend the leader and follow the leader."
"Forever" has connotations of a lifetime leadership. "Linxiu" was a title used only by Mao Zedong......
......Guangxi, which is now at the vanguard of efforts to pave the way for Xi to become an eternal leader, also broadcast a documentary TV series praising the leader.
At the party's upcoming national congress in Beijing, Xi will attend the Guangxi regional session alongside delegates from the region. Guangxi, therefore, has become closely intertwined with Xi's political fortunes.
The title of
lingxiu, leader, had been all but monopolized by founding father Mao. In Mao's case, it was more commonly used as the "great leader."
The use of phrases such as "eternal leader" and "people's leader," suggest that Xi is aiming to acquire the status of "party chairman," which Mao retained for life.......
........There apparently has been push back from various wings of the party -- old cadres, those who do not belong to Xi's faction and liberal intellectuals.
In one case, the propaganda division of the party in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, published a red booklet to help people study Xi's eponymous ideology, "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."
But the booklet evoked memories of "Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong," also known as the "Little Red Book," the reading of which was advocated by radical Red Guard student supporters of Mao during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).......
.......They must not argue about major political policies of the Party Central Committee without good reason ... must not spread politically negative opinions [and] must not participate in illegal social organization activities."
Those who violate discipline "will be severely punished."........
.......Xi is still aiming for a title that bestows greatness, and many close aides are competing to help him succeed in his quest. They are engaged in a fierce power struggle for survival. Naturally, they will be divided into winners and losers.
Who prevails will be decided in the coming weeks........