President Xi Jinping has encouraged artists to pursue more people-centered cultural creation and production and contribute to the building of China into a country with a strong socialist culture.

Xi made the remarks when he wrote back to the artists of China Oriental Performing Arts Group on Saturday.

In the letter, Xi praised the national cultural group for producing many quality cultural and art works and contributing to China's cultural prosperity and cultural exchanges with the rest of the world, calling it an important "cultural ambassador" and "cultural name card" of the country. 

He urged those with the group to remain committed to people-centered cultural creation and production and make greater contribution to the building of cultural confidence and strength. 

In a recent letter to Xi, ten artists from the group wrote about their commitment to better telling China's stories and making China's voice heard through art. 

In the reply letter to them, Xi also extended congratulations and greetings to the group since 2022 marks respectively the 70th and 60th anniversaries of its two predecessors: Chinese Song and Dance Troupe, built in December 1952, and Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, launched in January 1962.

The group's productions such as The Splendor of China, a dance show that displays rituals and colorful aspects of China, and Twelve Chinese Zodiacs, a show that uses percussion music and dance to bring to life the characteristics of each zodiac sign, have been widely acclaimed. 

(Cover: Dancers of the China Oriental Performing Arts Group perform on stage in Haikou City, south China's Hainan Province, June 9, 2019. /CFP)