"There are many noble characters I wish to inherit from my father," Xi Jinping, then governor of East China's Fujian province, said in a letter of felicitation to his father Xi Zhongxun on his birthday in 2001.

At the time, Xi missed his father's birthday celebration due to busy schedule.

The apologetic son wrote a letter of gratitude to his father. Having read the letter, his father said: "Serving the people well is the best way of repaying me."

President Xi often recalls the wisdom imparted to him by his father. Xi Zhongxun once told his son: "No matter what your job title is, serve the people diligently, consider the interests of the people with all your heart, maintain close ties with the people, and always stay approachable to the people."

Carrying on his family tradition, Xi has been committed to a people-centered philosophy of development and making every effort to meet the people's demand for a better life. As he later stated, "What the Party pursues is to make the people's lives better."