Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Jan 22 braved the cold to visit people affected by floods in a village in Northeast China’s Liaoning province.

Xi made the trip to the village of Zhujiagou, under the administration of Suizhong county, Huludao city, ahead of Spring Festival, the most important festival for the Chinese people, which falls on Jan 29 this year.

Huludao was one of the cities hardest-hit by last summer’s floods.

Xi inspected the progress in post-disaster restoration and reconstruction.

Xi, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learned about local post-disaster reconstruction and people’s daily lives during the visit.

He asked the villagers who have just moved into their new houses this winter about the quality of the reconstructed homes and whether their daily living conditions were adequate.

Huludao experienced record flooding caused by heavy rainfall last August, affecting more than 188,700 people and destroying over 5,400 houses.