Leaders visit countryside to take part in preparations

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, who both climbed the leadership ladder from rural areas, joined millions of residents in the countryside on Friday in preparations to mark Spring Festival.

Online photos and video clips showed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan returning to Liangjiahe, a village in Yan'an, the Communist revolutionary base in Shaanxi province. Xi worked there as a farmer for nearly seven years before studying at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He retraced the experiences of his youth while witnessing the massive changes that have been seen in the area.