In a wide-ranging conversation, Susan Shirk and Geremie Barmé discuss cultural and political life in China during the Xi Jinping era. Barmé, who coined the term “Chairman of Everything,” compares Xi’s style and ambition with the cult of Mao and dynastic rulers from China’s long history. They also traced the usage of classical Chinese in the formation and articulation of policy agendas such as the “the China Dream” 中国梦 and the “Community of Common Destiny.” 人类命运共同体, and the continuity of literary Chinese education and culture through the periods of revolution and reform.