Xi passes on greetings for the new year

President's visit to less developed region shows Party's resolve to fight poverty

President Xi Jinping continued his visit in Shaanxi province over the weekend, heading to the city where his father set up a base for guerrilla forces more than 80 years ago and greeting people in Xi'an ahead of Chinese New Year, which falls on Thursday.

After Xi returned to Liangjiahe village in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, on Friday - where he spent seven years during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) - he went to Tongchuan on Saturday to pay tribute to people who died in wars defending the base that was set up by his father Xi Zhongxun in 1933 to fight against the Nationalist Party.