BEIJING -- When expressing his expectations for the country's cultural workers to create works that inspire the people and warm their hearts, President Xi Jinping has quoted a proverb well known to Chinese writers, artists and intellectuals alike: "The function of literature is to convey the truth or the moral values."

These words from Zhou Dunyi, a Neo-Confucian philosopher from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), summarized a philosophy cherished by generations of Chinese writers: literary works can cultivate morality. Today, the saying is used to describe this function of not only literary pieces, but also other types of cultural products.

Quality cultural works help cultivate people's values and appreciation of beauty, Xi noted, emphasizing that cultural workers ought to regard the "pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful" as their mission. He called on them to ensure their works embody core socialist values.

In addition, cultural workers should also be role models themselves.

"A cultural worker with a poor sense of morality will surely be rejected by the people and the times," said Xi, urging all cultural workers to pay close attention to their own behavior, and be fully aware of the influence they and their works have on society.