Venue of CPC's founding congress due to reopen in time for centenary in July

The renovation of the Memorial for the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai will be completed by May for the upcoming centenary of the founding of the Party in July, according to a leading staff member from the venue.

Housed in a restored building in the city's Huangpu district, the memorial is situated on the site where 13 Chinese delegates and two foreign delegates from the Communist International convened the First CPC National Congress in July 1921.The venue has been open to the public since 1952.

Spanning around 998 square meters, the memorial features historical relics, photos and diagrams illustrating the history of the founding of the Party.

In 2017, President Xi Jinping and the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visited the memorial, demonstrating the leadership's belief in staying true to the Party's founding mission and serving the people.

The memorial's annual visitor numbers have almost doubled since that visit, from 832,675 in 2017, 1 percent of whom were expats, to 1,401,257 in 2019, including over 22,000 foreigners.

"The new memorial will be more spacious with diverse exhibits whose number will definitely be several times that in the previous venue, along with multimedia interactive devices to systematically present its history," said Xu Ming, deputy director of the memorial.

The venue will continue to maintain its original shikumen style, a Shanghai architectural style featuring Western and Chinese elements, and the hall where Party members take their admission oath will be restored.

Technologies such as 5G and virtual reality will also be applied in the renovated memorial to enrich visitors' experiences, Xu said.

Xu said a number of specific details, including the collection of cultural relics, exhibition design and technological applications, are currently being worked on.

"Further renovation details are confidential at present as most are still pending, and we are sure to enhance our service to the global audience at the memorial, a key local landmark during the upcoming celebration," he added.

For decades, the team from the memorial has been engaged in sharing its history and spirit with the public. The team customizes exhibitions at the memorial and organizes educational activities in order to actively involve more people.

Because of COVID-19, the team has also explored ways to involve people who are unable to visit the physical site through, for example, livestreaming and online educational activities.

It has also held 122 touring exhibitions showcasing valuable cultural relics related to the Party's history in cities around China since 2018 to mark this year's centenary of the CPC.