Throughout the political career of Xi Jinping, now general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, people have seen his foresight as well as his willingness to sacrifice personal gain and one-time fame.

When working in Zhengding, Hebei Province in the early 1980s, he saw potential business opportunities when he learned that the crew of "The Dream of Red Mansions," a popular novel-turned-TV drama, was looking for a filming location.

He then proposed building in Zhengding a large residential compound featured within the novel. The compound, which was used by the TV crew, later became a tourist attraction.

Tourist income from the compound exceeded 10 million yuan the year it was completed, paying back more than the investment. The compound has so far been used by more than 170 movies and TV dramas, with up to more than 1.3 million tourists every year.

When working in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian, he took charge of drafting a development plan for the city from 1985 to 2000 and lobbied for preferential policies from the central government, both of which benefited the city long after he left the province.

In Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, he and his colleagues devised a strategic development plan for the city for the coming three, eight and 20 years. All the main targets set by the plan were achieved years ago, and a number of enterprises that were set up or brought to Fuzhou when Xi served there remain the industry leaders, playing a significant role in the city's development over the past two decades.

Working as Fujian governor, he was the first in the country to launch a campaign to crack down on food contamination.

In 1999, he first put forward the idea of improving IT infrastructure and introducing information technology to help the public. Fujian had been the only province in China where all hospitals are linked by computer networks and share digital medical records before 2010.

In 2002, Fujian launched the reform of the collective forest property right system, becoming the first in the country.

During Xi's tenure, Fujian was among the first provinces in China to adopt special policies to restore ecological balance and protect the environment. This has made Fujian the province with the best water and air quality as well as the best ecology and environment in the country.

After his transfer to Zhejiang Province in 2002, Xi put forward numerous development targets for the economy, public security, culture, the environment and the rule of law.

In 2004, under Xi's leadership, Zhejiang made an attempt to improve grassroots democracy. Villages there set up residents' committees to supervise the village Party committee and administrative committee on public affairs, a move that received a positive response from the public.

Village supervision committees, which sprang from the Zhejiang model, were later introduced in an amendment to the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees in 2010 by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the country's top legislative body.

Shanghai was Xi's last local post before he was promoted to the central leadership. Despite a relatively short term in the country's financial capital, he left his mark by promoting the economic integration of the Yangtze River Delta and enhancing Shanghai's leading role in the region.