BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently replied to a letter by descendants of the representatives from diverse ethnic groups who established an oath-taking monument featuring ethnic unity in Pu'er.

In his letter, Xi conveyed warm encouragement and sincere wishes to the descendants. He pointed out that representatives from various ethnic groups, including their ancestors, erected the monument in 1951 and made a solemn pledge to stay united and follow the Party. For over 70 years, people from all ethnic groups have stood in solidarity with the Party and worked in unity, making historic achievements in the economic and social development of border regions. This has written a vivid chapter of ethnic unity and progress, Xi said.

Xi stressed that the Chinese nation is a big family where 56 ethnic groups love and care for each other. He expressed the hope that descendants of these representatives will carry forward the proud traditions of their ancestors, add new chapters to the story of the oath-taking monument, and let the tale of ethnic unity be passed down from generation to generation. People of all ethnic groups should enhance their sense of community for the Chinese nation, safeguard the motherland and build a better home together, so as to let the flower of ethnic unity and progress bloom more brilliantly.

In 1950, representatives of different ethnic groups in Pu'er, Yunnan province, were invited to Beijing to participate in celebrations marking the first founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. They were warmly received by Party and state leaders, including Mao Zedong. On Jan 1, 1951, the people from various ethnic groups of Pu'er held an oath-taking rally to put up the monument following the customs of the ethnic minorities, pledging to stay united under the leadership of the CPC and strive for building an equal, free and prosperous society. A total of 48 representatives signed their names on the monument. In recent days, their descendants wrote to General Secretary Xi Jinping, reporting on the happy life of local ethnic communities under the Party's leadership and expressing their resolve to uphold their oath, follow the Party, and contribute to ethnic unity and the prosperity of the border regions.