Children at a kindergarten in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, perform a dragon dance on May 31 to celebrate International Children's Day on June 1 and welcome the Dragon Boat Festival on June 3. [Photo by Wang Zheng/For China Daily]

President Xi Jinping extended festive greetings to children all over the country on Tuesday in a letter to congratulate the China National Children's Center on its 40th anniversary.

In his message, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, wished all children happy and healthy lives and progress in their learning ahead of the International Children's Day, which falls on Wednesday.

Xi said in the letter that the China National Children's Center has stayed true to its original aspiration and mission of fostering talents for the Party and the nation, implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and serving the nation's children.

The center should carry forward its glorious tradition, unite workers devoted to children's welfare and endeavor to guide children's development, protect their interests and rights and enlighten their future, he said.

He called on the institution to promote children's healthy and all-around development with dedication and passion.

The center, affiliated with the All-China Women's Federation, was established in 1982 and was China's first national research institution dedicated to off-campus education and children's development since the start of the nation's reform and opening-up.