President Xi Jinping talks with school children as he attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou district in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. (Photo/Xinhua)
President Xi Jinping has written back to a group of primary school students who contacted him to wish children all over the country a happy International Children's Day, which falls on Tuesday.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, encouraged members of the Chinese Young Pioneers who wrote to him to learn the Party's history well and stay committed to following its lead.
The young students are from Xin'an Primary School in Huaian, Jiangsu province. The school was founded by the renowned educator Tao Xingzhi in 1929 and has been closely connected to the revolutionary era and the Party's history.
In October 1935, 14 students from the school founded the Xin'an Touring Troupe to travel the country and promote resistance against Japan's invasion and save the nation by publishing articles, performing stage plays, selling pro-revolution newspapers and airing movies.
Under the care and guidance of leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the troupe publicized the Party's proposals, traveled more than 25,000 kilometers and covered 22 provinces across the country in 17 years, contributing to the victory against invasion and the nation's liberation.
Recently, the Young Pioneers at the school wrote to Xi about their experiences studying the school's and Party's histories, expressing their determination to hand down the revolutionary legacy and be good youths in the new era.
On Sunday, Xi wrote back to the students and noted that they had expressed pride in the school's revolutionary history and what they had learned from the history of the Party.
In its day, under the care and leadership of the Party, the Xin'an Touring Troupe overcame hardship and traveled throughout more than half of China. It used literature and art as tools to arouse the people to resist Japanese invasion and save the nation, and it publicized the Party's propositions, demonstrating patriotism and enterprising spirit, Xi said.
In his letter, Xi stated his hope that the students learn the Party's history well as they grow up, follow the examples of heroes and role models and strengthen their determination to listen and follow the Party's lead from an early age.
Xi encouraged them to study hard, build on their ideals, build their character, boost their skills and strive to achieve all-around development.
