While working in Zhengding county in North China's Hebei Province in the 1980s, young Xi Jinping often chose to ride the old Phoenix-brand 28-inch bicycle he had used in Beijing.

Although the county had two jeeps available for official duty, Xi frequently opted to travel by bicycle during his research trips. This allowed him to gain firsthand knowledge of local conditions, including issues that might go unnoticed from a chauffeured car.

Dressed in a worn military-style outfit and carrying a simple green canvas bag, he rode from village to village along the Hutuo River.

He often had to carry the bicycle on his shoulders, walking across dry riverbeds to reach villages on the other side and continue his research.

On that same bicycle, he visited Xizhaotong commune to study township enterprises, went to Sanjiao village to learn about cotton cultivation and traveled to Tayuanzhuang to look into village development. Over three years, he visited all 25 communes and more than 220 production teams in the county.

"As a county Party secretary, you should visit every village; at the municipal level, every township; and at the provincial level, every county, city and district," Xi said.