People of all ethnic groups across the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region said they are more determined and confident in building a more beautiful Xinjiang in the new era after President Xi Jinping led a central delegation to join them in celebrations marking the 70th founding anniversary of the autonomous region.

Following a grand gathering held on Thursday, members of the central delegation, instructed by Xi, visited local officials and residents in multiple areas of Xinjiang.

During a visit to the city of Korla on Thursday, Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference — the country's top political advisory body — and head of the central delegation, emphasized the importance of improving basic education in Xinjiang, especially in the southern parts of the region, and forging a strong sense of community among young people for the Chinese nation.

Wang also called for further improving local health and medical services and advancing rural vitalization.

In Korla, he visited locations including a local school, a hospital and a village, where the members learned about education and medical assistance to Xinjiang, the development of rural industries and local people's work and life.

Other groups of the delegation visited Urumqi, the regional capital, as well as the cities of Kashgar, Karamay, Bole and Changji.

Zhang Tengji, a forest firefighter from Korla who attended the grand gathering on Thursday, said that the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang were greatly encouraged and inspired by Xi's personal participation in the celebrations.

Zhang said that in recent years, Xinjiang has made significant progress in various undertakings, including fighting forest fires, where the level of modernization of equipment has been steadily improving.

"In the past, we mainly relied on portable fire extinguishers, but in recent years, we have been equipped with a large number of new rescue tools, from backpack extinguishers to cutting-edge equipment such as drone-based life detectors," he said.

Rexila Rehati, a mineral processing engineer from Altay prefecture, said she felt deeply honored to take part in the grand event on Thursday. "As an ordinary worker, I will devote myself even more to doing my job well when I return, and make my own contribution to the future of Xinjiang," she said.

She added that her father was also once a miner. But unlike in her father's time, when ore processing meant painstakingly using horse-drawn sledges to extract and sort ores, today the work is fully automated and mechanized, with some equipment even capable of being switched on remotely with just one click.

"These are all achievements of Xinjiang's rapid development in recent years. I believe that as people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang strive in unity, the future of Xinjiang, whether in mining or in other industries, will only get better," she said.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn