Ahead of the Spring Festival in 2015, President Xi Jinping made a special trip back to Liangjiahe village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, bringing gifts with him.

In Liangjiahe, once a barren and desolate village on the Loess Plateau, Xi had lived and worked as a farmer for seven years, from 1969 to 1975.

He brought holiday essentials for each household – dumpling flour, rice, cooking oil, meat products, Spring Festival couplets and New Year paintings – gifts that expressed his deep care and affection for the people of Liangjiahe.

Xi recognized many villagers with whom he had once worked and lived, greeting them warmly by name and asking after their families.

"When I left Liangjiahe, physically I left, but I left my heart here," he said during the visit.

"At that time, I said that if conditions allowed and the opportunity arose, I would enter politics and do good for the people."

(Compiled by Huang Jingjing, Liu Haozhe, Li Zhuoman and intern Liu Yunyun; Poster illustrated by Chu Chu)