BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to let more people know about the Great Wall and engage more people in its protection to pass on the ancestors' precious heritage to future generations.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a reply letter sent Tuesday to villagers living at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall in a northern suburb of Beijing.

Residents of Shixia Village in Yanqing District recently wrote to Xi, reporting their work in protecting the Great Wall and changes taking place in the village.

In the reply letter, Xi said he was pleased to learn that the villagers had taken the initiative over the years to protect the Great Wall, inherit the Great Wall culture, and rely on its resources on their way to prosperity.

The Great Wall is a representative symbol of the Chinese nation and an important symbol of the Chinese civilization, Xi said. "It is our common responsibility to protect and pass on this historical and cultural heritage."

Xi voiced the hope that the villagers will continue protecting the Great Wall as they protect their homes, carry forward the Great Wall culture and tell stories about the Great Wall well.

The villagers are encouraged to contribute to building a strong socialist culture in China and promoting Chinese modernization.

The Great Wall is the largest-scale existing cultural heritage in China. Since 2012, Xi has paid great attention to the work concerning tapping the cultural values and inheriting and protecting cultural relics of the Great Wall, and made multiple instructions on advancing the building of the Great Wall national cultural park.