President Xi Jinping wished senior citizens nationwide a happy Double Ninth Festival, also known as Chongyang Festival, which falls on Monday.

Xi extended the greetings Sunday in reply to a letter written earlier by 30 senior residents in Macao.

The senior residents are serving in a professional elderly service center established in 2007, where Xi used to pay a visit in January 2009 as the vice president of China.

"You have experienced the successful practice of 'one country, two systems' in Macao," Xi said. "I am glad that you devote yourselves to public welfare undertakings after retirement."

Xi expressed his hope that the senior residents could tell young people in Macao more stories happening before and after Macao's return to the motherland and encourage them to pass on the fine tradition of loving the motherland and loving Macao to make contributions to the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and to work together in making Macao more beautiful.

In their letter to Xi, the senior residents spoke of the changes since Macao's return to the motherland, and expressed their pride to be Chinese and determination to pass on the tradition of loving the motherland and Macao.