BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping Wednesday stressed the need for able Party officials at county and village levels for countryside development.

    Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with the relatives of Shen Hao, former secretary of a village committee of the CPC, whom Xi described as setting up an ideal example for village officials.

    During his six years as the Secretary of the Xiaogang Village Committee of the CPC in east China's Anhui Province, Shen led impoverished villagers to build roads, improve housing facilities and help increase villagers' annual income from 2,300 yuan (337 U.S. dollars) to 6,600 yuan per capita.

    On Nov. 6, 2009, he died of heart attack at the age of 45.

    He was posthumously honored with the title of "national outstanding CPC member" and "the people's civil servant."

    Xi said Shen had left a great legacy as a modern CPC village cadre with his "loyalty and love, innovation and hard work."

    He urged Party officials at county and village levels to learn from Shen and contribute to the building of the socialist new countryside