Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has encouraged rural primary school students to strive to grow from "saplings" into "towering trees" of the Chinese nation.

Walking into a classroom of fourth-graders at a primary school in the county of Rucheng during his inspection tour in Central China's Hunan province on Wednesday, Xi was delighted to hear the students sharing stories of the legendary Long March undertaken by the Red Army in the 1930s.

He told the students that the revolutionary cause must be passed down from one generation to the next, and that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be realized with the participation of today's young generation.

Xi expected the students to study hard, make progress every day, and be well-prepared to join the socialist cause.