BEIJING - Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on communist officials to read books on Chinese history and apply historical experience to their work.

Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, urged officials to borrow useful examples from history to improve their work.

Xi said he hoped officials could stand up to tests and ward off risks after learning more about preeminent traditional Chinese culture as well as the nation's lofty spiritual pursuits.

In particular, officials should read modern Chinese history, which refers to Chinese history in the time since the Opium War of 1840, Xi said at the opening of the autumn session of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

This part of history could help readers understand why the Chinese people chose the CPC and socialism, said Xi, who is also the head of the Party School.