Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on writers and artists to strengthen cultural confidence and make contributions to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. 

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 11th national congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th national congress of the China Writers Association. 

Writers and artists have great responsibilities and face huge opportunities as China strives to develop socialist literature and art in the new era, he said, urging them to serve the people with innovative and inspiring works. 

He hailed the "positive contributions" made by writers and artists since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, underscoring remarkable achievements in areas such as literature, drama, films, television, music, dancing, fine arts, photography and calligraphy. 

With China entering a new era and embarking on a new journey toward socialist modernization, Xi called on writers and artists to highlight the great undertaking of national rejuvenation, uphold the people-oriented principle, and make innovations and produce excellent works that keep up with the times. 

He called for efforts to better tell China's stories and shape a "reliable, admirable and respectable" image of the country in the world. 

He also called on writers and artists to advocate righteousness and strive for "excellence in both professional skills and moral integrity." 

Writers and artists should closely integrate their personal and artistic pursuits with the nation's future and the people's wishes, he said, urging them to produce more works that meet the people's cultural needs and boost their spiritual strength. 

Meanwhile, writers and artists should pay more attention to the world and mankind and produce excellent works that embody the common values of humanity, he added. 

Xi called for rejection of vulgarity and kitsch in literary and artistic creation and stressed that literature and art must not become a "slave of the market."