CERTAIN places in China have been enshrined as revolutionary holy land owing to their significance within China's contemporary history. Despite their remote locations, these places attract numerous tourists, with their graceful landscapes and unsullied folkways. We look at a few of them in this issue:

Nanchang, the Jinggang Mountains, Ruijin and Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province

Many big events in the history of the Communist Party of China took place in Jiangxi Province. Nanchang City is the birthplace of the first CPC army. In 1927 Chiang Kai-shek breached the KMT (Kuomintang)-CPC alliance, and on August 1 the same year over 30,000 pro-communist soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army rose up in Nanchang under the leadership of Zhou Enlai, marking the onset of an armed revolution led by the Party. August 1 was later officially designated as Army Day in commemoration of this event.

The Nanchang August 1 Uprising Memorial was built on the site of the Nanchang Uprising Headquarters, a gray five-story building blending both Western and Chinese architectural styles. The headquarters of the New Fourth Army and the residences of Zhou Enlai and Zhu De during the Nanchang Uprising are also in Nanchang.

However, the most celebrated historical site in Nanchang is the Prince Teng Pavilion by the Ganjiang River, built in 653 by Prince Teng, known as Li Yuanying, of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This grandiose three-story building is listed as one of the three most famous towers in China, along with the Yueyang Tower and Yellow Crane Tower. Much of its fame stems from the classic work, On Prince Teng Pavilion, by Wang Bo, renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty. This poem has enjoyed a lasting reputation throughout the ages, and is a part of the middle school curriculum.

The Jinggang Mountains are famous among the Chinese people, as in 1927 Mao Zedong founded the first rural revolutionary base there, laying the foundations for future growth of the Communist Party of China. Mao later wrote a poem entitled Jinggang Mountains to the Tune of Xi Jiang Yue, describing battles with the Kuomintang troops.

Isolated by mountains, the Jinggang area features unspoilt folkways and a primitive eco-environment. The mountain teems with bamboo, which is fashioned into delicate woven handicrafts by the local people. It is also fascinating to listen to stories about the past as told by villagers and their descendants who lived through the warring years.

Ruijin was the location of the CPC soviet regime in the 1930s. It witnessed a booming red regime period, when local tyrants were overthrown and their lands parceled out to farmers. In safeguarding the gains of the revolution, the Party had fierce battles with Kuomintang troops in this area. In Ruijin tourists may visit the sites of the Central Military Commission, the Central Democratic Government of Workers and Peasants, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the General Political Department of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.

Lushan Mountain lies south of Jiujiang City in Jiangxi Province, next to Poyang Lake. With its mild climate and picturesque landscape all year round, Lushan is the habitual haunt of men of letters and scholars. After the Communist Party of China came to power in 1949, Lushan Mountain was chosen as a meeting place for the top Chinese leaders. In July 1959 the Party held the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in Lushan Mountain, and also the 8th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee in August the same year. These meetings led to the conflict between Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai and triggered the drive against Right Deviationism. It was also in Lushan Mountain that the Second Plenary Session of the 9th CPC Central Committee was held in August 1970, and waged the struggle against the Lin Biao anti-Party clique. Lushan Mountain has now emerged from the political mists to become a tourist resort.

Zunyi in Guizhou Province

Located in the mountainous area of southwestern China, Guizhou Province was on the route of the world famous Long March undertaken by the Red Army in the 1930s. In January 1935 the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee was held in Zunyi City, and formally established the correct central leadership with Mao Zedong as representative, thereby leading the Chinese revolution on to the correct course. The Zunyi meeting was a turning point in CPC history, and is therefore a sacred place in the history of the Chinese revolution. The site of the Zunyi Meeting, a Western-style building constructed in the 1930s, was formerly an officer's residence, and is now a famous showplace.

Liupan Mountain in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

The trek across the Liupan Mountain was the cruelest part of the Long March. Numerous young Red Army soldiers lost their lives in these snow-capped mountains, grasslands and swamps. Liupan Mountain -- to the Tune of Qing Ping Yue by Mao Zedong expresses exactly the daring and resolve of the revolutionary, and the famous saying "if we reach not the Great Wall, we are not true men" is just one line from this poem.

With its lush forests and meandering rivers, Liupan Mountain is a rare oasis on the loess plateau. It is an ideal place to escape the heat of summer and go exploring. As a strategic pass, it is an historic battlefield.

Yan'an in Shaanxi Province

Yan'an was the destination of the Long March, as well as a main revolutionary base for the Party when contending with the Kuomintang government. Pagoda Hill in Yan'an was the beacon for progressive youth in the 1930s and 1940s. In sharp contrast to the reactionary Kuomintang, the progressive Communist Party of China was, despite being weaker, the only hope for the Chinese people. Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow illustrates the progressive nature and vitality of the Party, and inspired a legion of young people in the Kuomintang-ruled areas to go to Yan'an.

Yan'an, remote and obscure, gave refuge to the Party when it was in dire straits. However, since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yan'an has fallen behind in economic development due to its disadvantageous location. However, the traditional cave-dwellings and folklore are well preserved, and are great attractions to urban residents.

Xibaipo in Hebei Province

In the late 1940s the Party finally began to take the upper hand in the war against the Kuomintang. Just before the founding of the People's Republic of China the Party moved its headquarters from Yan'an to Xibaipo, a few hundred miles from Beijing. On March 5, 1949 the Second Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee convened in Xibaipo, and worked out its strategy for overthrowing the Kuomintang regime and gaining victory across China. During this meeting Mao Zedong made the famous remark: we are going to the capital for an examination. I hope we can all pass it, and not make the same mistake as Li Zicheng. Li was head of a peasant uprising during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In 1644 his army captured Beijing, and the last Ming Emperor was compelled to hang himself in shame. However, due to Li's corrupt ways, his victory was short lived. Mao's remark has profound significance.

The present site at Xibaipo is a duplicate, as the original site of the CPC headquarters was submerged by water after the building of a reservoir in the 1950s.

By staff reporter LI XIA