SHANGHAI -- President Xi Jinping has offered congratulations on the publication of the Dacihai, a grand-scale Chinese dictionary.

In a letter read at a symposium in Shanghai Thursday, marking the publication, Xi also gave his congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the publication of the Cihai, a large-scale dictionary on which the Dacihai is based.

The two dictionaries, which fully embody the excellent fruits of human civilization and systematically display the abundant achievements of Chinese civilization, have enriched people's spiritual life and brought them spiritual strength, Xi said in the letter.

While expressing his regards for the experts, scholars and comrades who contributed to the two projects, Xi called for greater belief in Chinese culture and persistent work to create masterpieces.

More should be done to foster and put into practice socialist core values, improve the country's cultural soft power and make China a socialist culture power, Xi said.

This could be achieved through major cultural projects of high quality, he said.

First published in Shanghai in 1936, the Cihai has been through six editions. The Dacihai, which has been gradually released since 2003, passed the national inspection and approval process in September this year.