President encourages artists to drive cultural progress

President Xi Jinping has encouraged Chinese artists to uphold their people-centric approach in creation and production of works of art and help build China into a culturally advanced socialist nation.

Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in a letter to the members of the China Oriental Performing Arts Group.

The letter, dated Saturday and made public on Sunday, came after 10 members of the performing arts group recently wrote to Xi and shared with him their achievements in producing literary works and artworks over the past decade.

They also expressed their determination to dedicate themselves to telling China's stories to the world and making China's voice better heard through their works.

In his letter, Xi commended the performing arts group on its positive contributions to promoting literature and art over the years, and facilitating cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world through several excellent works.

Members of the performing arts group, who have created a wide range of artistic works over the years, have become important "cultural envoys "and are presenting the culture of New China to the world, he said.

Xi said that generations of artists in the group have demonstrated their sense of mission by creating literary works and artworks needed by the people and the times.

He expressed his hope that the artists would uphold the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, strive to stick to their high moral standards and artistic competence and make new contributions to promoting the nation's cultural confidence and progress.

The predecessors of the China Oriental Performing Arts Group are the Chinese Song and Dance Troupe, founded in 1952, and the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, founded in 1962.