YAN'AN, Shaanxi -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Thursday stressed promoting the great founding spirit of the Party and the spirit of Yan'an, and striving in unity to fulfill the goals and tasks set by the 20th CPC National Congress.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, led Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, in a trip to Yan'an, an old revolutionary base in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The first stop for Xi and the other leaders on Thursday was the site of the Seventh National Congress of the CPC.

The congress held in 1945 is of milestone significance in the history of the CPC, marking the Party's becoming more mature politically, ideologically and in terms of its organization, Xi said.

Politically, the entire Party was united under the banner of Mao Zedong, and ideologically, the guiding role of Mao Zedong Thought for the whole Party was established and Mao Zedong Thought was incorporated into the Party Constitution, Xi said.

Their next stop was former residences of Mao Zedong and other revolutionaries of the older generation.

Comparing the revolutionary sites in Yan'an to a book worth reading forever, Xi said that they served as witnesses to the glorious journey of the Party in leading the Chinese revolution and exploring ways to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times during the Yan'an period.

A guide gave an introduction about how the well-known revolutionary song "The East is Red" was written and became popular.

Such songs extolling the Party and Chairman Mao were all created by the people spontaneously, which showed clearly that the people chose Mao Zedong and he enjoyed their support, Xi said.

Thereafter, Xi and the other leaders arrived by vehicle at the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall to visit an exhibition on the 13 years of the CPC Central Committee in Yan'an.

From 1935 to 1948, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, of which Yan'an was the center, was the seat of the CPC Central Committee. It served as the center of political guidance in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and the general rear area of the Chinese people's struggle for liberation.

In an important speech delivered after visiting the exhibition, Xi hailed Yan'an as a holy site of the Chinese revolution and the cradle of New China. He noted that it was in Yan'an that the Party's Central Committee and veteran revolutionaries, including Mao Zedong, led China's revolutionary cause from a low point into an upsurge, reached a historical turning point, and transformed the prospects of the country.

Xi said he lived and worked in Yan'an for seven years, and his father also had worked in Yan'an.

The spirit of Yan'an highlights the firm belief in the correct political orientation, the guiding principles of freeing the mind and seeking truth from facts, the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly and the enterprising spirit of self-reliance and hard work, Xi said.

The spirit, and the glorious traditions and fine conduct developed and promoted during the Yan'an period, are all precious assets of the Party, and should be passed down from generation to generation, Xi stressed.

He called on all members of the Party to promote the fighting spirit, strengthen the fighting capacity, resolutely overcome various difficulties and challenges ahead, and harness the indomitable fighting spirit to open up new horizons for the cause of the Party and the country.