Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, started visiting southwest China's Guizhou Province on Wednesday, about one week before the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year.
For nine years in a row, Xi has made it a tradition to visit ordinary people, especially the disadvantaged groups, ahead of the Spring Festival, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar.
The following are some of the most memorable moments of Xi's interactions with these people during his pre-Spring Festival tours.
Xi went to the home of farmer Li Fashun in Simola Wa Village, Yunnan Province, where he learned about the family's daily life, and was invited to join the family in making rice cakes. He also beat a wooden drum of the Wa ethnic group three times, a local ritual activity to bless the coming year.