A senior Chinese leader has stressed the importance of promoting cultural activities in the countryside.

Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has visited villages, schools, communities and cultural organizations in south China's Guangdong province from Jan. 11-16.

Economically booming Guangdong should lead the country in building an environmentally-friendly and energy-saving society, Li said.

Li visited poor families and farmers in the Leizhou Peninsula and the province's northern mountainous area and in Xuwen County, at the southern point of the peninsula, Li inspected the development of water-conserving farming which has helped lift local villages out of poverty.

He called on the provincial government to offer more assistance to the development of poor area.

The senior leader also discussed the organization of cultural activities in some villages. He said more televisions, films and books should be introduced to meet demand in rural areas.

Editor: Yan