GUANGZHOU - A symposium was held Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong province, to commemorate late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping ahead of his 110th birthday.

About 150 people were present at the symposium, including Deng's daughter Deng Nan, Guangdong's Party chief Hu Chunhua, senior officials from major cities in the province and experts on the history of the Communist Party of China.

In a keynote speech, Hu described Guangdong province as one of Deng's "test fields" in China's reform and opening up drive.

The late leader made painstaking efforts in leading the reform drive and earned the love of the people, he said.

The best way to commemorate Deng would be to push ahead with reforms and rejuvenate the Chinese nation, said Hu.

Deng toured Guangdong province three times in 1977, 1984 and 1992. The speeches and inscriptions he gave during these visits were inspiring to the locals as well as all the Chinese people.

Deng was born on Aug 22, 1904 in Southwest China's Sichuan province.