FUZHOU, Oct. 23 -- Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin has urged steady efforts to expand employment and boost culture and tourism-related consumption during a recent research tour in east China's Fujian Province.

During the tour, she visited enterprises, industrial parks, traditional villages and human resources centers in the cities of Quanzhou and Fuzhou. She also held talks with government officials, entrepreneurs and experts.

Shen called for efforts to create more employment opportunities with improved quality, optimize public employment services, and redouble assistance for jobseekers facing difficulties in securing work.

She also stressed the importance of enhancing the preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage, and of promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism.