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Red tourists lead march to Xingxian
2019-05-23 
Liu Bingtao, 90, a member of the 120th division of the Eighth Route Army in the 1940s, meets visitors at his home in Xingxian county, Shanxi province.[Photo by Wang Ru/China Daily]

The former home of the Jinsui Revolutionary Base in a poor county in northern China is enjoying a reversal of fortunes, Wang Ru reports in Xingxian.

In many ways, Xingxian seems to be an ordinary county in Lyuliang city, Shanxi province, but it isn't. Over 80 years ago, it was part of the Jinsui Revolutionary Base, and the 120th division of the Eighth Route Army led by He Long was stationed there to protect Yan'an, the cradle of the Chinese Communist revolution during China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and China's War of Liberation (1945-49).

Today, the Jinsui Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Caijiaya village remains a silent witness to the past. "Red tourism" is in full swing there, especially after President Xi Jinping's visit in 2017.

Liu Bingtao, a 90-year-old army man who was a member of the 120th division of the Eighth Route Army, says: "Ever since President Xi's visit to Caijiaya, I have seen more and more travelers arriving here, especially young people. I like to tell them stories in the hope that more young people will come."

Liu joined the army at the age of 15 and was appointed to work in the purchasing division. He often had to risk his life bringing back goods and materials from enemy-occupied territory. He still remembers how he once drove 54 donkeys by himself to transport salt, sugar, pencils and other items from what is now Shenmu city, Shaanxi province, to Xingxian county at the age of 17.

"There were five people in the purchasing division and I was the youngest one, so my colleagues took care of me. Three of my colleagues eventually sacrificed their lives carrying out their duties."

Many local soldiers died in the war at that time, and their sacrifice, known as the "Lyuliang spirit", was highlighted by President Xi when he visited the memorial hall in 2017.

Xingxian became a revolutionary base partly because it was remote and hidden in the mountains. But this also posed a challenge to its later development. For many years, it was one of the poorest counties in China.

The Jinsui Revolutionary Memorial Hall remains a witness to the war years in the 1930s and '40s before the founding of New China.[Photo by Wang Ru/China Daily]

Developing a tourism trail

Many sites from Xingxian's past have the potential to become tourist resources. So, the county is planning to promote red tourism.

According to Tian Baoyu, director of Xingxian's culture and tourism bureau, the county started to promote red tourism in 2016.

"We have renovated some sites, like the Jinsui Revolutionary Memorial Hall, another memorial hall to commemorate the soldiers who died in an aviation accident in Xingxian on April 8, 1946, and the former site of the Jinsui headquarters, which we redeveloped into tourist attractions to promote red education."

Moreover, Xingxian has built a "red street" near the Jinsui Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Caijiaya village for local people to sell souvenirs to visitors. Another shopping street is also under construction.

"Some of our villagers have benefited from tourist development by selling local products to travelers," says 73-year-old Wen Eryou, a villager from Caijiaya.

"We are also building a training academy for government officials that will enable over 700 people to stay there and study, and we are also building a tourist center for visitors. These projects were launched this year and are due to be completed next year," says Tian.

Tian also says the management of tourist attractions has been outsourced to a professional marketing company based in Beijing.

Activities like red cultural festivals have also been held in Xingxian, with the aim of promoting its cultural tourism.

In 2018, the Jinsui Revolutionary Memorial Hall received over 320,000 visitors, highlighting an upward trend compared with 120,000 visitors in 2016 and 200,000 in 2017.

Statues of marshal He Long and army soldiers in the memorial hall.[Photo by Wang Ru/China Daily]

Caijiaya train

A "Caijiaya" train that travels from Caijiaya village to Shanxi's provincial capital, Taiyuan, opened on June 21, 2018. It marks a further progress in the development of Xingxian's tourism.

"It's much more convenient for us to travel by the train now. More travelers come by train, and they usually buy local agricultural products, which helps us earn more money," says 65-year-old Caijiaya villager Wen Houlai.

The train travels from Caijiaya to Taiyuan once every morning and once every afternoon.

According to Wen, before the train, people in Xingxian had to take the bus to Taiyuan, which cost about 100 yuan ($14.50). Now, it costs less than 40 yuan by train to make the four-hour journey.

"The opening of the train ended Xingxian's history of lagging behind other places in Shanxi, and it has become a bridge to connect the old revolutionary base area and the outside world," says Wen Lichuan, secretary of the Party committee of Caijiaya village.

"Everything has been planned carefully, and we believe that in several years tremendous changes will be seen in Xingxian county," says Wen Lichuan.

Sun Ruisheng contributed to the story.

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