President Xi Jinping is not only widely recognized as a hard-working leader, but also known for his respect of manual labor.

The village of Liangjiahe in Shaanxi province, Northwest China, now boasts swathes of lush, green farmland. It is largely attributed to a dam, which would not exist without Xi.

Xi, as an "educated youth" to "learn from the peasants", arrived in Liangjiahe in 1969. The dam was first proposed by Xi, Party chief of the village at the time , and he personally took part in its construction. The young Xi worked from dawn to dusk, and not merely in a managerial capacity.

Xi's attitude toward the working people was cultivated in his seven years in Liangjiahe, and he has taken it with him throughout his political career, and across the country.

While working as the Party chief of Zhengding, Hebei province, he joined villagers in hoeing and seed thinning as skillfully as an old farmhand. In Ningde, Fujian province, Xi participated in a canal renovation project.

Xi developed a hard-working ethic and has maintained his respect for manual labor even to this date. As the country's top leader, Xi has participated in tree-planting activities. Xi also wrote to manual workers, visited them at construction sites, presented medals to model workers and praised them.

"No matter how the times change, we must always treat work and working people with reverence and respect, and we must always attach significance to the leading role of the working class and working people." These words by Xi encapsulate his decades of concern, support and respect for the workforce.