Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday went to the Renmin University to celebrate the Chinese Youth Day with students and called on them to learn from the people and grow up through practice.

Together with State Councilor Chen Zhili, Wen arrived at the university around 10:00 AM. In front of the university library, Wen warmly shook hands with students and wished them a happy Chinese Youth Day. Hearing that Premier Wen came, more and more students flocked to the front door of the library and greeted the premier.

Faced with hundreds of students, Wen congratulated on the 70 years of establishment of the university, and expected the students to better develop themselves in three aspects:

First, students should stick to the study style of blending theory with practice, better understand the society and national situation, and have a good command of theory. In the meantime, they should devote themselves to turning theory into practice. Only in this way can they shoulder the heavy task of building the motherland.

Secondly, students should be dedicated to pursuing truth. They should learn to think independently, be brave in innovation, and surpass their predecessors.

Thirdly, students should have a strong sense of responsibility for the nation and the people. The deeper their love of the nation and the people, the stronger their sense of responsibility will be. The students were also encouraged to stay away from ostentation and to be conscientious in their study.

Wen's speech gained rapturous applauses.

Asked how young people should carry on the tradition of the May 4th Movement, Wen said that patriotism and the promotion of science and democracy are enshrined in the May 4th Movement. Today people should continue to emancipate their minds, seek truth from facts, keep pace with the times, stick to the socialist road with Chinese characteristics, and build China into a prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious and modern country.

In the library, librarians introduced to Wen some ancient books they preserved, and some publications during the Liberation War period in the late 1940s. Wen carefully listened and asked the staff to preserve the precious files well.

In a reading room full of students, Wen sat and chatted with the students who asked the premier about the country's agriculture, finance, energy and social justice, among other topics.

Answering the question about countryside, agriculture and farmer, Wen said the government had worked out a series of policies in this regard in recent years, including rescinding agricultural tax, increasing agricultural investment, pushing forward free compulsory education in rural areas, and building new-type rural cooperative medical system and rural subsistence allowance system.

He encouraged students to learn more about countryside and farmers. "In China, failing to know countryside and farmers means failing to know the national situation," he said, encouraging students to read more books.

The premier then visited students' dormitories and had lunch together with students.

The Chinese Youth Day was established in 1949 to commemorate the beginning of the May 4th Movement in 1919.

May 4th Movement was a world-famous political and cultural movement against imperialism and feudalism. It was also seen as the starting point of modern China.

(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2007)