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Culture  

Red Tours Put Them in the Black

    “Red Tours” refer to visiting representative sites of revolution and wars led by the Communist Party of China. Proposing to develop a tourism economy in the old revolutionary areas, the 2004-2010 Outline of the National Red Tour Development Plan was jointly issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council.

    Red history has left enough rich resources for everyone hoping to benefit from “Red Tours.” Yang Yanhong is an ordinary peasant in Shazhouba Town, Ruijin. In 2008, he opened “Shazhouba Gourmet City” opposite the site of the Second National Congress of the Chinese Soviet Republic. His is the largest peasant-style restaurant in town. “State Banquet of the Second National Congress of the Chinese Soviet Republic” is a special menu item customers can’t resist ordering. He invested RMB 200,000 in this restaurant, and his annual profits have reached as much as RMB 130,000. “During the busy season, my restaurant is packed. At this time 10 employees are not enough.” Yang admits that his success is built on the “Red Tour” phenomenon. “In recent years, Ruijin’s focus on tourism has been paying off, and it’s only for this reason I decided to run a restaurant near the tourist area.”

    Ruijin has 180 Soviet Republic former residences and sites, and 33 key cultural relics under national protection, including the site of the Temporary Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, the site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Soviet Republic, the Auditorium of the Temporary Central Government, and Red Well. Meanwhile, 51 ministries and commissions of the central government are exploring Ruijin for vestiges of their precursors, and where property is involved, funding renovations. In Yeping Township and Shazhouba Town, a cluster of former sites of ministries and commissions has become a time-traveler’s delight.

    At present, Ruijin has two national AAAA tourist areas, one national agricultural showcase, and one national Grade One museum. It offers seven tourist areas, including the Cradle of the People’s Republic (Yeping Revolutionary Former Sites), the Red China Situation Experience Area (Shazhouba Revolutionary Former Sites), the Central Revolutionary Base Area Museum, and the Luohanyan Scenic Area.

    The statistics provided by the Ruijin Municipal Tourism Bureau show that in 2009 Ruijin received 1.329 million tourists, and generated revenues of RMB 408 million. In the first nine months of 2010, it received 1.311 million tourists, earning RMB 390 million. Red Tour direct employees are 2,600 strong, and indirect employees exceed 10,000. Tourist commodities, such as Wuyiyuan Tea, bronze sculptures and bamboo-woven handicrafts, have developed rapidly.

    There’s also Jiangxi Ruijin Long March Pickles Industry Co., Ltd. With a Red Army soldier grandfather, Yang Hua’s revolutionary pedigree is impeccable. This general manager says with pride, “Our products are pickles made in the traditional way, handed down from generation to generation. They are delicious and very popular. I was a peasant without land, and have nothing to do. My neighbors suggested I start a small business.” The small family workshop was established in 2005, mainly producing spicy sauce paste, fish pickled in fermented black beans, and fermented beancurd. “These preserved dishes were what the locals used to offer as special treats to Red Army soldiers,” Yang explains.

    Yang has no sales outlets, but his annual net profits amount to RMB 100,000. “Ruijin is an old revolutionary base area so tourists are sure to take characteristic products back home,” he says from experience. “My products catch people’s eye as genuine local produce; they are special, very tasty and of select local harvests.” Since Yang’s company is a small one, he enjoys preferential taxation treatment.

    To some extent Yang Hua’s success has something to do with his active participation in public benefits. He has kept a Red Army flag he made himself, and often takes part in promotional activities for Ruijin tours, receiving tourists in scenic spots during the busy tourist season dressed as a Red Army soldier. Yang also often plays an extra in films and television plays with revolutionary themes shot in Ruijin, not for money, he insists, but because “As a descendant of an old Red Army soldier, I have a duty to publicize Ruijin.” Every year the tourism bureau provides entertainments, such as performing red dramas on school campus, all honoring Red history and promoting the Ruijin of the present.

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VOL.59 NO.12 December 2010 Advertise on Site Contact Us