BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency Friday released a long Chinese-language feature titled "Comrade Xi Jinping pushes the development of Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ): the explorations and practice."

Xiamen is home to one of the first four SEZs in China. In 1985, the State Council approved expanding the SEZ to the whole island. In the summer of that year, Xi was assigned to leave Zhengding County in Hebei Province to work in Xiamen. He served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Xiamen Municipal Committee and vice mayor of Xiamen.

The article recapped Xi's ground-breaking, hard-working and dedicated experience in Xiamen over the course of three years. It said Xi was courageous to try new things and led a series of ground-breaking reform measures.

It also said he broadened the opening-up scope and explored how to boost reform and development through opening-up. He drafted sound and forward-looking strategies for Xiamen's long-term development.

It said Xi placed great focus on ecology and environmental protection, curbing illicit and unregulated logging and exploitation while treating the Yundang Lake in an all-round way. The article said he attached great importance to cultural heritage, and led efforts to restore the Bagua Mansion and make preservation plans to protect Gulangyu Island.

It said Xi demonstrated his aspiration to serve the people and got things done one by one through solid efforts.

Xi led, pioneered and made contributions to the development of the Xiamen SEZ in its early days. He worked side by side with the people, carried out profound and vivid practice, and achieved fruitful outcomes. The sound development concepts, valuable experience and fine conduct of the practice still inspire the city to forge ahead, it said.