Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged officials to resolve conflicts related to the immediate rights and interests of the people in accordance with the rule of law, according to an official release on Friday.

Xi made the remarks when commenting on the "Fengqiao experience," a social management practice first advocated by late Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1963 at a time when class struggles, such as struggles against landowners or anti-revolutionists, were still occurring.

Fengqiao township of Zhuji City in eastern Zhejiang Province is credited with developing the practice, which required people to resolve social conflicts among themselves, rather than handing disputes over to higher-level authorities.

In 1963, Mao Zedong called on local governments to learn from the "Fengqiao experience" after he learned about the township's practice.

Xi said the "Fengqiao experience" has evolved over the past five decades to become a model practice for the country's judicial and law enforcement authorities today.

He called on Communist Party committees and governments at all levels to promote the "Fengqiao experience," adhere to sound work styles, and keep innovating methods for dealing with the masses.

A symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of Mao Zedong's call to learn from the "Fengqiao experience" was held on Friday in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang.