President Xi Jinping led a grand tribute to heroes and role models in a medal presentation ceremony on Sunday, calling on the whole country to look to the heroes and forge ahead in unity to build a strong nation.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the presentation to the recipients of national medals as well as to the recipients of national honorary titles, the nation's highest honors.

The ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday, two days before the People's Republic of China celebrates on Tuesday the 75th anniversary of its founding.

"A great era calls for heroes and gives rise to heroes. When heroes emerge in large numbers, the Party and the people's cause will thrive and endure," he told an audience of about 1,000 people, including previous recipients of national honors, senior officials, college students and people serving in the military.

Among those honored on Sunday were Huang Zongde, a recipient of the Medal of the Republic and a veteran of China's revolutionary wars, and Dilma Rousseff, the recipient of the Friendship Medal and former president of Brazil.