Today, Xi Jinping has come to define China's present and future role in global affairs. In many ways, he is seen as vision of a new Chinese model that has rejected the 'old China' for a 'new China' that is the essence of modernity. But is he? This multiple session course will challenge that perception by demonstrating Xi is, in reality, a product of the Chinese historical past and is driven to assert that past as the platform for his personal political ambitions. The structure of the course will include lecture and class Q and A. Materials for the course will be available online, in local libraries as well as newspapers. Regular class communication will through computer messaging with alternate arrangements for those who lack an appropriate computer system. David K. McQuilkin has taught History and Political Science at various colleges and universities for more than forty years. In 1985, he joined the Department of History and Political Science at Bridgewater College as a faculty member and department chair and retired as professor emeritus of History and Political in 2009. Since then, he has taught history and political sciences courses at Blue Ridge Community College, offered numerous LLI courses through JMU, made presentations on various topics and current events to local community organizations, written book reviews, and has served as a political analyst for WHSV.