Xi's inspection in Guangdong

Editor's note: Xi Jinping conducted his first inspection tour as the new Party chief from Dec 7 to 11 in Guangdong province. His tour, which resembles the trip former leader Deng Xiaoping made 20 years ago, sends a strong message of deepening reforms. On Thursday, China Daily reporters Qiu Quanlin, Zheng Caixiong and Chen Hong spoke with local people Xi met to recount his five days in Guangdong.

Time line

Dec 7, Shenzhen

Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone

Kuang-Chi Institute of Advanced Technology, a material technology research company

Tencent Inc, one of China's biggest Internet service providers

Wang Yuqing, board director of a local construction consultant company, was working in the zone when Xi Jinping arrived at about 3 pm.

Wang said he saw several minibuses and cars drive in the cooperative zone in Qianhai Bay without fuss, and they kept a very low profile. Wang said there was nothing special going on the day before Xi's visit.

"No banners, no flags, no flowers, no red carpet whatsoever," Wang was quoted by The Beijing News as said.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, speaks at a meeting held with government officials and entrepreneurs in south China's Guangdong province, Dec 9, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

All they knew was that a "very important person was visiting".

Then they found out the person was Xi, China's new Party chief, who shook hands with whoever extended a hand to him, Wang said.

"Xi said that since the country has provided favorable policies to Qianhai, Qianhai should boldly go forward," said Zheng Hongjie, an official at the zone. "I'm very confident. We have no reason not to do a good job."

Xi stayed more than an hour in the zone.

At Tencent, CEO Ma Huateng showed Xi instant messages, e-commerce, an Internet information portal, and WeChat, a cross-platform multimedia chatting application.

Xi took a special interest in WeChat, and he encouraged Tencent to keep up its development momentum and make a contribution to bringing China's Internet industry to the world, according to a press release on Tencent's website.

The release said that although the company did not show the Tencent micro blog to Xi, the top political leader asked Ma how many fans Ma had on his micro blog.

Xi received an instant-messaging account from Tencent, too.