President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of China Writers Association at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Dec 14, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping has urged Chinese writers and artists to strengthen their cultural confidence, present the world with fine works and make contributions to building China into a socialist cultural power.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark on Tuesday while addressing a national conference of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Writers Association.

While asking them to shoulder their responsibilities in promoting the prosperity and development of socialist culture, Xi said that cultural workers across the country enjoy promising prospects for their work in the new era.

He stressed the need to ensure that Chinese culture serves the people and also serves socialism, follows the principle of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend", and encourages creative transformation and development.

Efforts should be made to uphold socialism, rally public support for the cause of the Party and State, foster a new generation with sound ethical values, develop Chinese culture and build a positive image of China in order to boost momentum for national rejuvenation, Xi said.

Noting that the Chinese people always have a global vision, Xi said contemporary Chinese literature and art should embrace the world and humanity.

Cultural workers need to have firm confidence and ambitions to create fine works that help present Chinese values and philosophies to the rest of the world and reflect the common values of humanity, he added.

Xi urged artists and writers around the country to tell China's stories to the world in a proper manner, create more Chinese cultural images that can become popular in the world and strive to present the world with a multidimensional and panoramic view of China in order to write a new chapter for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

He also called for developing exchanges between Chinese and foreign writers and artists.

Xi underlined the importance of raising ethical standards among cultural workers, urging them to improve their conduct, value their social influence and seriously consider the impact of their work on society.

A writer or an artist engaging in bad conduct or misbehaving will not be accepted by the people, he said, calling for a sound and clean environment in the whole sector.

While stressing the importance of the Party's leadership in the flourishing and development of socialist literature and art, Xi urged the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Writers Association to leverage their organizational strength to innovate their work and guide writers and artists in creating literary and artistic works.