Red tourism (Chinese:红色旅游,Russian:красный туризм,romanized: krasniy turizm)[1] is tourism at locations significant tocommunism. It is a subset of domestic and international tourism incurrent 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 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 thesocialist 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" insocialism.[11]: 49
The number of red tourism sites has continuously grown since its inception in 2005. Significant sites include:
Gutian, site of theGutian Congress, where in 1929 the 9th Party Congress was held, and a resolution byMao Zedong was passed, addressing ideological splits in the military and party, and establishing the principle of the "Party Leading The Army"[12] in which the army is a subordinate of the party, and should carry out the political tasks of the revolution.[13]
Yan'an,[14] near the endpoint of theLong March, and thus became the center of theChinese Communist Revolution from 1936 to 1948. Chinese communists celebrate Yan'an as the birthplace of the revolution. Tourists can participate in dailymock battles portraying “The Defense of Yan’an” againstChinese Nationalist Army forces.[4] The "Golden Yan'an" tourist city features old-fashioned Chinese streets and shops in the style of the 1930sYan'an Soviet.[5]: 1–2 The major attraction of Golden Yan'an is "The Ode of Yan'an" show, which depicts historical moments from theCommunist Party's Yan'an period presented with a light show on the mountains and an audio-visual projection on Baota Mountain.[5]: 2
Jinggangshan,[15] the cradle of the Chinese Communist Revolution,[16] where Mao Zedong and other leading members of theChinese Communist Party established the first rural base for the revolution in 1927.[16]
ThePatriotic 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 theChina National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, the termhongse 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 its2004-2010 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 therevolutionary base areas.[5]: 103
According to academicsChristopher 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.[21] It 'softly' improves Chinese state's image without eliciting social resistance.[22]
Recently, Russian researchers started to focus on the studying of the trend of Russian-Chinese tourism development.[24] 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 ofVladimir Lenin.[5]: 2
^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.ISBN9789087284411.
^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.
^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.ISBN9789087284411.
^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.ISSN1476-6825.S2CID143983552.
