BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged efforts to make the Palace Museum a major education base for fostering patriotism and an important window for the world to better understand Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an exhibition marking the 100th founding anniversary of the Palace Museum in Beijing.

The exhibition themed "A Century of Stewardship: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum," features 200 pieces (sets) of cultural relics and documents, including masterpieces of calligraphy and paintings, as well as bronze ware and jade artifacts, demonstrating the development of the museum.

Xi listened carefully to the explanation during the visit and paused to observe the relics and inquire about relevant details.

Hailing the Palace Museum as a hallmark of Chinese civilization, Xi said the museum should carry forward its fine traditions, adhere to the principle that cultural relics belong to the people and serve the people, and work harder to protect, restore and make good use of the cultural relics.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, also visited the exhibition.

On Oct. 10, 1925, the Forbidden City, the vast walled complex that once served as China's imperial palace, was opened to the public for the first time, along with its priceless imperial art collections, marking the founding of the Palace Museum.