China is seeing rising demand for tourist sites related to the country’s communist revolution.
Xinhua reports that the so-called “red tourism” industry is growing as the Chinese government pumps money into the developing attractions relating to the country’s communist history.
Northern China’s Shanxi Province in particular, is said to be trying to boost its communist credentials. Wuxiang county, which served as the headquarters of China’s Eighth Route Army and hosted many of the country’s revolutionaries, such as Zhu De, Peng Dehuai and Deng Xiaoping, is becoming increasingly popular with visitors.
In 2008, the Wuxiang government set up a cultural park, putting on stage shows that tell stories about the war and offering tours that allow visitors to sample life as a communist fighter.
According to data provided to Xinhua by the Wuxiang authorities, the county welcomed two million visitors in 2013, largely attracted by the red tourism programme. This has generated more than CNY2 billion (US$324 million) in tourism revenues.
“At present, there are unprecedented opportunities for red tourism in China,” Wang Shumao, a member of the country’s tourism coordinating group was quoted saying. “We have included this into our national development plan, and will introduce policies to support it.”
Last year, the Chinese government allocated CNY487m to boost the red tourism sector, while the country’s civil affairs department invested CNY2.8bn constructing memorial sites. In addition, China’s transport departments have pumped CNY1.5bn into the development and improvement of road links to tourist sites.
It is estimated that in 2015, red tourism sites nationwide will welcome 800 million tourists, earning CNY200bn in revenues.
Often romanticised in China, the communist revolution was the culmination of almost 20 years of conflict, both against Japanese invaders and in a civil war against nationalist forces. Mao Tse-tung eventually proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October 1949.
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