Xi stresses cultural heritage importance

With four generations living together, Zhang's family members are of Mongolian, Manchu and Han ethnicities. Seeing them happy together, Xi praised Zhang's family as a home of national unity.

Inner Mongolia has always been a model of national autonomy and unity, Xi said, and he called for efforts from all ethnic groups to promote China's development.

When Xi visited a community in Chifeng's Songshan district, residents sang and danced under the guidance of Ulan Muqir artists. Ulan Muqir, which means "red bud" in Mongolian, is a troupe that performs for herdsmen in the prairies of Inner Mongolia.

Xi called for efforts to promote, support and advocate these types of grassroots cultural activities as they preserve traditional culture, are loved by the public and will never grow outdated.

On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a forest in Maanshan, spoke with forest rangers and learned about the area's ecology. The rangers told Xi that more animals, including roe deer and boar, are being spotted since the environment has improved. People have benefited from selling forestry products to the growing number of tourists.