Senior Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao, visited on Thursday night a major exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The exhibition in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution showcases the development of the PLA in its 80 years of history, including the advanced military weaponry and logistic outfits of the army, navy, air force and the PLA's missile troop.

Senior leaders Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng and Luo Gan also visited the exhibition.

Listening carefully to staff interpreters, Hu and other senior leaders occasionally stopped over and inquired about the particular details of some exhibits.

They were especially attracted by the pictures of former leaders Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, who paid much attention to the armed forces and national defense.

Hu showed interest in a group of hero pictures of the army and watched the simulation of the severe the Yangtze River floods in 1998 when PLA soldiers rolled up their sleeves to help victims out.

The leaders inquired about the details of intelligent interactive commanding platform, the simulation system of naval vessels, advanced logistic outfits and new types of missiles and tanks.

The exhibition is "significant and inspiring", Hu said, adding the PLA, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), is an army of the people and a pillar of the nation.

Eighty years of practice shows that the army has always followed the CPC's command, served the people wholeheartedly and greatly contributed to the happiness of the entire nation, Hu said.

The building of national defense and the armed forces has been the main part of the country's socialist modernization, the president said.

The exhibition runs from July 16 to August 20 and displays a total of 970 pictures and other 1,750 military exhibits on a total area of 6,540 square meters.

August 1 this year marks the PLA's 80th anniversary.