Xi's new year inspections underpin people-oriented approach

BEIJING - After visiting poverty-stricken areas across the country ahead of previous lunar new years, President Xi Jinping's latest pre-Spring Festival tour took him to the hutong neighborhoods of central Beijing.

Though slightly different, there has been consistent theme throughout the years: a people-oriented approach.

During the Friday visit, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, enquired about the living conditions of local residents after renovation projects in the traditional alleys.

Xi's talks with the residents went in to details: heating solutions in winter, electric bills and the preparation for the lunar new year ... He also went to check to see if a public toilet was clean.

Wang Chunlian, a resident in the neighborhood, said: "Xi is very kind and approachable. It was like having a relative come to visit."

"What the CPC pursues is to make the people's life better," Xi told residents, adding that the Party aimed to create a more comfortable and better living environment for the people and solve problems they care about so they can enjoy modern life even in old hutong areas.