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China Daily Global / 2021-05 / 05 / Page008

Red tourism nourishes spirit and economy

By LI YANG | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-05-05 00:00

Heroism and patriotism are spiritual legacy that will never be outdated

Guilin, a global tourist resort famous for its limestone landscape in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, received an important guest on April 25.

Before sailing along its picturesque Lijiang River where he stressed the importance of ecological preservation, President Xi Jinping visited the Xiangjiang River Battle Memorial Park in the Quanzhou county of the city. He paid tribute to martyrs of the Red Army who died in the battle against the Kuomintang forces in late 1934.

After the bloodiest battle in its historic Long March, the Red Army was downsized from 86,000 people to 30,000.

Xi called the battle a key historical event determining the life and death of the Chinese revolution. He said the Red Army soldiers' revolutionary ideal and faith was not only the main motivation prompting them to press forward in war with indomitable will, but it acts as a spiritual legacy today to motivate the nation to strive for great rejuvenation.

Xi's visit has attracted tremendous attention to the memorial park, which has become a must-see for tourists coming to Quanzhou during the May Day holiday from Saturday to Wednesday, locals said.

There are many such memorial parks marking the heroic deaths of the revolutionary martyrs across the country. There are also battle, conference and residence sites of the Communist Party of China forces, the Party and the former Party leaders that have been conserved and turned into tourist attractions and patriotic education bases.

People flock to these historic sites of significance to the Chinese revolution and development not only to enjoy the picturesque landscape but also to review the difficult and glorious struggles of the Party for the liberation of the country and the people.

It is estimated that Chinese tourists will make 200 million domestic trips during the May Day holiday. The fast rise of hotel reservations in some "Red tourism" destinations indicates this subset of tourism is more popular this year, with the approaching 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

Data from multiple travel agencies show that, contrary to many people's expectations, about half of the visitors to the "Red tourism" destinations are below 40 years old.

Wang Nan, a college student from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, said heroism and patriotism will never become outdated. He often visits the Jiangqiao Battle Memorial Hall in the city, which was built in 2004 to memorialize the Chinese people's fight to resist the aggression of the Japanese army in 1931.

"The fearlessness they demonstrated in the fight against strong enemies to defend their homeland and freedom reflects the Chinese people's bravery and strength of character," Wang said.

Experts said that young people are eager to gain knowledge about the history of the Party and the country, as they adore the heroes whose faith in dreams, the courage to pursue them and their spirit of self-sacrifice are still relevant today. Meanwhile, there are "Red tourism" fans among older citizens for nostalgic reasons.

Li Xiaoyong, a retired power plant worker in Jinan, Shandong province, in his late 80s, likes visiting old places of the city. They range from museums to the air-raid shelters he used to help build. Jinan was one of the first big cities the CPC forces liberated in its civil war with the Kuomintang army in 1948. He said "Red tourism" is more like a spiritual journey to the past where old people could find memories of their long-gone friends and relatives.

"It is like paying a visit to your younger self, when the visitors can think better of their connection with the times and the world, as well as the connection between the past and the future," Li said.

Tourism revenue is a crucial driver behind the robust growth of "Red tourism". It now accounts for about 11 percent of the 6-trillion-yuan ($925 billion) domestic tourism market. Competition for tourists between locations is fierce.

Some provinces, including Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Gansu, Shanxi and Shaanxi, have collectively recommended their "Red tourism" itineraries and top tourist destinations before the start of the holiday.

The reason why local governments are actively promoting local "Red tourism" is that it represents an effective method to increase the income of people living near the attractions.

Many of the former revolutionary base areas of the CPC-not to mention the Long March that navigated difficult landscapes to elude the Kuomintang army's blocks, chases and attacks-are located in remote areas which are difficult to access. For a long time, the farmers who had given much support to the CPC lived difficult lives even after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. This was because of the harsh natural conditions and lack of transportation infrastructure.

China's fast economic growth over the past 40 years, and particularly the poverty alleviation project between 2012-20, have delivered great changes in these remote places.

As roads connect to hamlets, the inflow of tourists to explore the "hidden pearls" of battle and conference sites in the mountains has brought with it not only money, but knowledge and opportunities for farmers to see the outside world.

In Xiaohe township of Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, where the Red Army held its Xiaohekou Conference to correct its commanders' left-leaning adventurism in 1932, local villagers have felt the difference history can make to their lives. A memorial hall of the meeting opened five years ago. Since then, the small town has received about 106,000 visits from civil servants and Party members from across the country. As well as this, large numbers of individual backpackers have been pulled in by the history.

Thanks to the tourism museum and the assistance of local governments, all 1,100 residents have been lifted out of poverty. The basic infrastructural facilities and public services have been improved tremendously, said Liu Gang, Party secretary of the township.

"The farmers insist their new houses should be built with red tiles and the outer wall should be painted earthy yellow," said Liu. "The red stands for the Red Army and the earthy yellow represents the villagers' memory of the shabby adobe houses built with mud and straw that locals used to live in for generations."

Farmers there plant herbal medicines, grow mushrooms in greenhouses, and raise chickens, bees and pigs. The husbandry is not only popular among the travelers but also in nearby cities, becoming a reliable source of revenue for locals.

In Wuxiang, a county in the Taihang Mountains of Shanxi province, the local government has built some "Red culture" experience tourism projects. The county is where the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, an armed force under the leadership of the CPC during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, had stationed for years. The projects include a cultural park for the Eighth Route Army, a guerrilla war experience park, and a landscape opera show Taihang Mountains. Through this, travelers can experience the life of a soldier in the Eighth Route Army for one day, eating steamed millet, a staple food for troops back then, singing battle songs, fighting a guerrilla war game and watching war operas.

Gao Fengming, a local farmer who takes part in the performance of the Taihang Mountains, said the farmers enjoy taking part in such tourism projects, as it has set them "a big stage" to tell their own stories to tourists.

Wuxiang has held the Eighth Route Army Cultural Tourism Festival for eight years since 2011, and "Red tourism" has become a brand for the county. The catering industry is booming with the inflow of tourists. There are more than 50 hotels and inns in the county, and over 500 homestays run by local farmers. Collectively, it produces more than 40 kinds of tourism products.

He Hongyan, a researcher of philosophy at the Party School of the CPC Harbin Committee in Heilongjiang, said that the development of "Red tourism"-as the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 have pointed out-has important meanings and functions in unifying the people's needs for better culture and strengthening the people's spiritual power.

As President Xi has stressed, the core of "Red tourism" is to conduct the "Red education", pass the "Red genes" and let the participants receive the "Red spirit". "Red culture "is the soul of "Red tourism" and an invaluable education resource.

Deng Zhaoming is a researcher of geography and resources with the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He suggests that the development of "Red tourism "should not only be integrated with the rural vitalization project, but advanced technology should be applied to improve the experience for tourists, as it is an information-intensive activity.

Deng said: "'Red tourism' should explore a path of integrated development as it is related to local farmers' livelihoods, education of visitors, application of technology, operation of business and industry, and exploration of historical resources."

Huo Yan, Sun Ruisheng, Li Ziyu, Heng Junchang and Li He contributed to this story.

 

Children look on as an historical photo is recreated showing the Eighth Route Army soldiers based in Wuxiang county, Shanxi province, in the 1940s during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) in Wuxiang. WU LIUHONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

 

 

Students of the No 61 Middle School of Taiyuan city visit the Eighth Route Army Taihang Memorial Hall in Wuxiang. LI YONG/XINHUA

 

 

CPC members repeat the oath they made on joining the Party when visiting Yan'an, Shaanxi province, on April 25. ZOU HONG/XINHUA

 

 

People visit the Xiangjiang Battle Memorial Hall in Quanzhou, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. President Xi Jinping visited the memorial hall on April 25 during his inspection tour in Guangxi. ZHANG WEI/CHINA DAILY

 

 

 

 

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