(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-12 09:49

Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu encouraged people in Inner Mongolia to boost the development of ethnic culture during a recent visit to Chifeng City.

While in Chifeng city after attending the ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Inner Mongolia, Hui praised the achievements made by local people in the past 60 years and encouraged them to take a scientific approach to development and turn the city more prosperous.

At the home for the aged of Manchu nationality in Songshan District, Hui toured their rooms, recreation centers and the clinic and enquired their daily life, calling for better care for senile people.

The Vice Premier also urged workers at a zinc mining company to make efficient use of resources, save energy and reduce production cost.

Liu Yandong, vice chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, called on local government to speed up industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry and continue to increase farmer's income to improve their living standard during a visit to Bayanur City of the region.

Farmers should share the achievements of economic development, Liu said.

Liu, who led another central government delegation to Bayanur on Friday, extends festival greetings to people of all ethnic groups in the city.

She called on all people in Inner Mongolia to seize the opportunity of accelerating the development of western China to boost infrastructure construction and pick up industrial development, urbanization and agricultural and animal husbandry production.

The region, the first of five province-level autonomous regions established in China, celebrated its 60th anniversary of founding on last Wednesday.

With an area of 1.18 million square kilometers, Inner Mongolia covers 12 percent of China's territory and is the third largest of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland.