Xi visits people in Beijing ahead of Spring Festival, extends greetings to all Chinese

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping visited primary-level officials and residents in Beijing during a two-day inspection tour from Monday to Tuesday, extending Spring Festival greetings to Chinese people at home and abroad ahead of the festival.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, wished them good health, career success, and family happiness. He also wished the country peace and prosperity in the Year of the Horse.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese. This year it falls on Feb. 17.