President Hu Jintao spent his sixth consecutive Spring Festival, a major occasion for family reunions in China, with ordinary people instead of his relatives.

He visited railway staff and police on duty and ordinary people in eastern Jiangxi Province Monday, the first day of the Lunar New Year, to extend festival greetings.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with police officer Qiu Eguo at the Kuaizixiang Police Station in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 26, 2009. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited railway staff members, China Mobile branch workers and police officers on duty and ordinary people in Nanchang Jan. 26, the first day of the Spring Festival, or Chinese traditional lunar New Year, to extend his festival greetings. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

At the Nanchang Railway Station Monday morning, Hu talked with passengers and ticket staff to check whether travelers had difficulty in buying tickets.

Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, began on Jan. 26 this year. It is the main family reunions time, leading to a nationwide travel rush as tens of millions of people go home for the holidays.

"You've been working hard. I hope you can think of more ways to help more passengers get tickets," the president told a sales clerk in the ticketing hall.

In the railway command center and on the platform, Hu inquired about passenger flow and transport schedules. He said he expected to see that railway authorities worked out efficient schedules, improved service and ensured safety as transport pressure remains serious after the festival.

With more than 600 million cell phone users in China making a huge number of calls during the festival, Hu went to the Jiangxi provincial branch of the China Mobile to inspect the company's operation, service and management.

He was happy to learn that the company's call center also offers job information for migrant workers and answers inquiries from local farmers.

Extending his New Year greetings to the staff on duty, Hu said that "people cannot do without mobile phones in their work and daily life, the service center should improve service and contribute more to local economic and social development."

Chinese President Hu Jintao (Front) talks with a seller to check whether travelers have difficulties in buying tickets at the Nanchang Railway Station in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 26, 2009. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Jiangxi Guohong Group is an industrialized agricultural production base, helping farmers plant fruits and vegetables, raise pigs and process farming and sideline products.

Seeing the produce on display, Hu said that the central government has strengthened policies and measures favorable to farmers amid the severe economic situation, as large numbers of migrant workers are returning to their rural homes from coastal provinces.

Rural enterprises should use their role in the countryside and help more farmers increase their incomes, the president said.

At the Kuaizixiang police station in the provincial capital of Nanchang, Hu said the station has been a model among the country's public security departments and the police officers won approval from the local people with their responsible and conscientious work.

In particular, police from Jiangxi did outstanding work in the earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan Province last May.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the visit in the company of Su Rong, secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Governor Wu Xinxiong. He also listened to work reports from provincial officials.

Commending the economic and social achievements in the province, Hu urged local officials to share both happiness and woes with the people, enhance their awareness of responsibility with good work performance, show a pioneering spirit to overcome difficulties, and avoid illegal personal interests and temptations.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R Front) shakes hands and talks with a passenger at the Nanchang Railway Station in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 26, 2009. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited railway staff members, China Mobile branch workers and police officers on duty and ordinary people in Nanchang Jan. 26, the first day of the Spring Festival, or Chinese traditional lunar New Year, to extend his festival greetings. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

 

NEW TRADITION

On Lunar New Year's eve, Hu visited a famous revolutionary base at Jinggangshan, a city in Jiangxi Province, and Premier Wen Jiabao was on his seventh visit to the worst-hit areas in the May 12 earthquake.

Wen even cooked a dish of hui guo rou (sauted sliced pork with pepper) for a family of quake survivors living in a makeshift house in Yingxiu Town, the epicenter of the quake.

Last year, Hu went to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Wen visited Jiangxi Province. At that time, both regions were among those being hit by China's worst winter storm in five decades.

Hu spent the previous festivals in Hubei, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and Wen in Henan, Shandong and Liaoning provinces.

Following suit, at least 14 provincial-level officials traveled across their regions to extend festival greetings to the public.

Beijing's Party chief Liu Qi visited volunteers in one of the capital's 500 volunteer stations in Qianmen Street, which runs along the capital's north-south axis to the south of Tian'anmen Square.

At a gathering with officers from the People's Liberation Army, the armed police, and public security officers stationed in Tibet, Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region, thanked them for their efforts in maintaining stable and relatively fast economic development and social stability.

Others, who joined the "new tradition" for the Spring Festival among high-ranking officials, visited construction sites, factories, police stations and colleges.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (2nd R Front) talks with a worker (L Front) at the call center of the Jiangxi branch of China Mobile in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 26, 2009. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)