BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping has demanded solid efforts to spread the experience of east China's Zhejiang Province in building a beautiful countryside with a pleasant living environment to increase the sense of gain and happiness of all rural residents.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that Zhejiang has made constant efforts in the past 15 years to improve the rural living environment, creating "tens of thousands of beautiful villages."

"As I have said on many occasions, developed and underdeveloped areas should all get involved in improving the rural environment, though the standards may vary," Xi said.

During the implementation of a three-year campaign to improve the rural living environment and the rural vitalization strategy, the country must popularize Zhejiang's experience and practices, he said, adding that measures should be targeted and adjusted to local conditions.

Since 2003, Zhejiang has implemented a project to overhaul the living environment of villages. At the end of last year, 97 percent of villages in the province had completed the overhauls.