Though only in office for about a month, China's new top leadership has impressed the public with a series of refreshing moves to fight corruption and soften the image of officialdom.

Now that the public's expectations have been raised, the challenge lies in living up to these expectations.

Since becoming general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in mid-November, Xi Jinping has garnered extensive support for his easygoing style and inspiring speeches. He has pledged deepening reforms, strengthening the rule of law, rejecting extravagance and reducing bureaucracy, and realizing the "Chinese dream" -- the nation's rejuvenation.

The new moves of China's top leadership can be summed up in three "Rs" -- Reform, Rejection and Rejuvenation.

On all three fronts, especially in terms of reform, China's new leadership should be determined and persistent enough to remove formidable obstacles standing in the way of satisfactory results.

Social equity is a major mission of the Party while it pushes forward reform. Meeting this target requires simultaneously cracking down harder on corruption, giving a boost to the private sector and transforming the income distribution system.

After the CPC national congress concluded last month, a wave of graft cases were exposed online. While this resulted in the much-applauded removal of several high-level officials, it also put an embarrassing question mark on the effectiveness of the official anti-graft system.

With the Party's disciplinary bodies overseeing the work of officials and handling petitions, the current system must adapt to the information age by, for example, opening microblog accounts to receive tip-offs or designating staff to process relevant information online.

In the end, the fight against corruption boils down to doing away with privilege, whether within the government or in monopolized sectors.

During a recent inspection tour in Shenzhen, Xi set a good example of "rejecting extravagance" and "reducing bureaucracy." He ordered that no traffic controls be implemented at places he would visit, an unprecedented move that won over ordinary people.

He is off to a good start, and people are waiting to see if his next steps will involve abolishing other unseen privileges.

People are also wondering whether monopolies will be broken up or at least weakened, whether more opportunities will be given to the private sector, and whether gaps can be narrowed between different industries and state-owned and private companies.

If these questions can be addressed, the general secretary and other top leaders will bring China a great leap closer to realizing the "Chinese dream."