BEIJING -- The May Fourth Movement, with its mighty force, inspired the ambition and confidence of the Chinese people and nation to realize national rejuvenation, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday at a gathering to commemorate the centenary of the movement.

The movement was a great patriotic and revolutionary campaign pioneered by advanced young intellectuals and participated by the people from all walks of life to resolutely fight imperialism and feudalism, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

It was a great social revolutionary movement launched by the Chinese people to save the nation from subjugation, safeguard national dignity and pool national strength together, Xi said.

It was also a great enlightenment and new cultural movement of disseminating new thought, new culture and new knowledge, Xi said.