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Red tourism

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Tourists in Yan'an can rent and dress in Chinese Red Army garb
Red tourism
Simplified Chinese红色旅游
Traditional Chinese紅色旅遊
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHóngsè Lǚ​yóu

Red tourism (Chinese: 红色旅游; pinyin: Hóngsè lǚyóu, Russian: Красный туризм)[1] is tourism at locations significant to communism. It is a subset of domestic and international tourism in current or former communist countries such as China and Russia, in which people visit locations with historical significance to their "red" (communist) past.[2][3]

In China, Chinese people visit locations with historical significance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "to rekindle their long-lost sense of class struggle and proletarian principles."[4]

State support

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The Office of National Red Tourism Coordination Group (ONRTCG or 'the Red Office') is in charge of red tourism.[5]: 24  The Chinese government began actively supporting red tourism in 2005[6] to promote the "national ethos" and socioeconomic development in those areas,[7] which are typically rural and poorer than East China. The "General Plan for the Development of Red Tourism in 2004-2010" (2004-2010年全国红色旅游发展规划纲要), issued by the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party and the General Office of the State Council, established the first batch of 100 so-called "red tourism classic scenic spots" (红色旅游经典景区). In 2012, officials representing several Chinese cities signed a "China Red Tourism Cities Strategic Cooperation Yan'an Declaration" to develop red tourism. Those cities were Guang'an, Yan'an, Jinggangshan, Ruijin, Zunyi, Shijiazhuang, Qingyang, Chishui, Longyan, and Shaoshan.[8]

In the CCP's view, red tourism strengthens revolutionary traditions, enhances patriotism, and promotes a unique national spirit.[9]: 64  A Chinese official said, "This is a major project that benefits both the Party, the nation and the people, either in the economic, cultural and the political sense."[10] In 2004, People's Daily described red tourism as contributing to a virtuous cycle in which through the socialist market economy, social benefits and economic benefits are integrated and "spiritual wealth is transformed into social wealth."[5]: 102  Xi Jinping recommends that Chinese visit these revolutionary sites to develop "historical confidence" in socialism.[11]: 49 

Locations

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The number of red tourism sites has continuously grown since its inception in 2005. Significant sites include:

Other significant sites for red tourism in China include Dazhai village in Shanxi province which was promoted for its model agricultural work in the Mao-era learn from Dazhai campaign.[9]: 174  Dazhai hosts the Chinese Dream Red-Theme museum.[9]: 174 

Liangjiahe, where Xi Jinping lived for seven years during the Cultural Revolution, is also significant red tourism location.[19]: 90 

Events

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The China Red Tourism and Cultural Festival is held annually in Hunan. The 2010 Festival took place in July and took advantage of high-speed rail in China.[citation needed]

During the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, the Shanghai local government promoted visits to the sites of the CCP's First National Congress, Second National Congress, and Fourth National Congress.[9]: 64 

Development

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The Patriotic Education Campaign contributed to the development of red tourism, particularly through its establishment of "Patriotic Education Bases".[5]: 99–100 

Red tourism first developed in comparatively small villages around the mid-1990s.[5]: 101  According to the China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, the term hongse lvyou 红色旅游 (red tourism) first appeared in a mainstream publication in 1996, when the term was used by the head of the Women's Committee of China's Old Region Development Program.[5]: 101 

A significant rise in red tourism occurred in the late 1990s, prompted by the development of tourism as a significantly profitable economic sector and celebrations and commemorations related to the Communist Party's past becoming settled into tradition.[5]: 100 

At the end of 2004, the central government issued its 2004-2010 National Red Tourism Development Outline, which provided a guideline for subsequent developments in red tourism.[5]: 102–103  It characterized the development of red tourism as significant in instilling patriotism, revolutionary spirit, and promoting socioeconomic development in the revolutionary base areas.[5]: 103 

Impact

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According to academics Christopher Marquis and Kunyuan Qiao, red tourism in China has a significant impact in intergenerational transmission of Mao Zedong's political theory.[9]: 58  Through multilateral marketing and massive consumption, red tourism helps to enhance Chinese regime's political legitimacy.[20] It 'softly' improves Chinese state's image without eliciting social resistance.[21]

Aging original members of the Red Army criticize the "Disneyfication" of what should be solemn war memorials.[6]

Outside China

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Other former Communist countries can have red tourism, such as the Czech Republic, previously part of Czechoslovakia and ruled by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.[22]

In North Korea, Revolutionary Sites are a part of red tourism in the country.[citation needed]

Russia

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Recently, Russian researchers started to focus on the studying of the trend of Russian-Chinese tourism development.[23] To attract red tourism business from China, Russian tourism authorities developed the "red circuit," an eight-day tour through multiple cities focused on the life of Vladimir Lenin.[5]: 2 

Lenin's Shack

Locations

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References

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  1. ^ Zhou, Qiong (2010-07-07). "National Symposium on Red Tourism Kicks off in Xiangtan University". Hunan Government. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21.
  2. ^ "'Red Tourism' Thrives in Yan'an, China". The New York Times. 2010-12-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  3. ^ Chung, Dan (2009-09-28). "Red Tourism in China". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  4. ^ a b Wong, Edward (December 30, 2010). "Revolution Isn't a Party, but It Draws Tourists". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lin, Chunfeng (2023). Red Tourism in China: Commodification of Propaganda. Routledge. ISBN 9781032139609.
  6. ^ a b c d e Boyle, Joe (14 May 2008). "China's 'red tourism' stopover". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  7. ^ Tian, Sulei (2005-02-22). "China boosts "red tourism" in revolutionary bases". Chinese Embassy in Delhi/Xinhua.
  8. ^ "2012中国延安首届红色文化旅游季在延安举行". 中国日报网. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise. Kunyuan Qiao. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. OCLC 1348572572.
  10. ^ "China boosts "red tourism" in revolutionary bases". People's Daily. February 22, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  11. ^ Shan, Patrick Fuliang (2024). "What Did the CCP Learn from the Past?". In Fang, Qiang; Li, Xiaobing (eds.). China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment. Leiden University Press. ISBN 9789087284411.
  12. ^ Red Tourism Alliance formed in Fujian's Gutian 12 Dec 2009
  13. ^ Red Tourism: Yan'an China Pictorial 2002
  14. ^ Red Tourism: Jinggangshan China Pictorial 2002
  15. ^ a b "Torrential rains hit east China "red tourism" attraction". Xinhua News. 2010-07-26. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
  16. ^ Red Tourism: Zunyi China Pictorial 2002
  17. ^ Will "Red Tourism" take off in the Chinese Hainan? Or is the future "Green" and "Blue"?
  18. ^ White, Chris (March 2017). "Appropriating Christian History in Fujian: Red Tourism Meets the Cross". Studies in World Christianity. 23 (1): 35–50. doi:10.3366/swc.2017.0168.
  19. ^ Hou, Xiaojia (2024). "China's Shift to Personalistic Rule: Xi Jinping's Centralization of Political Power". In Fang, Qiang; Li, Xiaobing (eds.). China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment. Leiden University Press. ISBN 9789087284411.
  20. ^ Li, Yiping; Hu, Zhi Yi; Zhang, Chao Zhi (26 July 2010). "Red tourism: sustaining communist identity in a rapidly changing China". Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 8 (1–2): 101–119. doi:10.1080/14766825.2010.493939. ISSN 1476-6825. S2CID 143983552.
  21. ^ Yan, Tony; Hyman, Michael R. (2023-07-04). "Softly enhancing political legitimacy via Red Tourism". Journal of Heritage Tourism. 18 (4): 556–573. doi:10.1080/1743873X.2023.2174440. ISSN 1743-873X. S2CID 256724303.
  22. ^ Bedard, Ron (October 28, 2010). "Red Tourism in the Czech Republic". TripAtlas.com.
  23. ^ Lyudmila S., Timofeeva (2018). ""Red Tourism" as a factor of stimulation of Interregional and International Tourism". Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores. 6: 1–15 – via EBSCO Discovery Service.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g "Москва". Красный Маршрут. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  25. ^ a b c "Ульяновск". Красный Маршрут. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018.
  26. ^ a b c "Казань". Красный Маршрут. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "Санкт-Петербург". Красный Маршрут. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018.