BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed the importance of doing a good job of strengthening aesthetic education to ensure the healthy growth of the country's youth, both physically and mentally.

Xi, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a letter replying to eight senior professors with the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) who wrote to him about China's aesthetic education.

In his letter, Xi expressed appreciation for their contributions and achievements in both aesthetic education and fine arts.

Noting that aesthetic education plays an important role in shaping a more beautiful mind, Xi said it is necessary to improve it, as the professors had suggested.

Also, as the CAFA celebrates its centennial anniversary, Xi called on the institution to adhere to the right direction in education and implement the CPC's education policy to foster students with love and create great works of art.

First founded in 1918 on the initiative of renowned Chinese educator Cai Yuanpei, the CAFA is China's first modern school specialized in fine arts.