Chinese writers should draw inspiration from the life of ordinary people and make their work more helpful in promoting the unity and harmonious coexistence of all ethnic groups, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said Tuesday.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC's publicity department, told a group of ethnic minority writers that their duty is to promote the prosperity of art and literature of national minorities.

Liu made the remark in discussion with the writers at a seminar organized by the China Writers' Association in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of a celebrated Mao Zedong speech on art and literature.

He urged the writers to study Mao's speech, which called for putting people first, promoting national unity and harmony and going to the grassroots to find inspiration.

Mao made the speech at a meeting discussing the orientation of "Chinese revolutionary arts and literature" on May 23, 1942.

Liu said that ethnic minority writers and poets have created a brilliant chapter in Chinese artistic history, urging the writers to take advantage of the current favorable environment to further promote their work.