BEIJING -- China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture.

This is the latest effort by the Chinese authorities to boost the preservation of cultural relics and promote the drawing of wisdom from the history to gain the historical initiative in blazing the path to better future.

President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of studying history in a recently-published article in Qiushi, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

"Only by studying history can one understand the Great Way," Xi wrote in the article, citing an aphorism excerpted from an essay penned by Gong Zizhen, a literary master in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The Great Way, a widely used concept in Chinese philosophy, roughly refers to a cause of virtue and justice.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has on various occasions underlined the need to respect history, study history, foster historical perspective, and carry on the fine traditional Chinese culture.

In the latest Qiushi article, Xi again called for efforts to advance the research of the history of Chinese civilization, and develop a keener awareness of the history while building up cultural confidence.