"When Xi stayed in Liangjiahe, he often ate at my home. Life was difficult, and there wasn't much to eat," said Zhang Weipang, Liangjiahe villager. "We ate steamed buns made of corn and bran, and sorghum noodles. In winter, we ate pickled vegetables and we could eat it for six months. Every household made two jars for the winter."

The pickled vegetables of Shaanxi are mixed with salt and allowed to sit for 20 days. Its simplicity produces what Xi calls "one of the most delicious food."

"I haven't eaten pickled cabbage for a long time, and I really miss it," Xi said.

After becoming Party secretary of Liangjiahe in 1974, he spearheaded a series of social initiatives that benefited villagers, including building a dam and a methane tank.