"People's efforts in rebuilding their hometown after the massive quake and patriotism as well as great spirits involved should be highly praised," Liu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, told a national conference of publicity officials.

Liu said models and heroes in quake relief should be publicized by the media, and literatures relating to the quake relief should be created to encourage the nation to weather the storm.

He said more publicity should also be given to Beijing's preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The conference, attended by local publicity heads, was held in Beijing yesterday.