'Keeping your feet on the ground'

For many young people, Xi is like a friend from whose words and experiences they can find inspiration.

When chatting with students of Jilin University in 2011, Xi used a metaphor to explain the importance of keeping one's feet on the ground.

"There are ancient Chinese sayings: 'A man of learning is superior to others', and "He who excels in study can follow an official career". But in today's world, college students should remain humble and go to grassroots areas and places where their talents are most needed," Xi said.

Dong Tian was one of the students who followed Xi's suggestion.

"Xi told us to 'Aim high, but keep our feet on the ground,' which has become my motto," said Dong.

Heeding Xi's advice, Dong chose to stay at his home province of Jilin and work at the frontline of electricity grid construction instead of heading to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai after graduation.