The city that is more than just a metropolis of modernity
The May 30th Movement (1925) Monument on the campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Fast-paced lifestyles, a business and fashion hub, and a technology innovation center－these are the things most people associate with Shanghai today. However, despite these modern traits, the metropolis is also rich in resources associated with the history of the Communist Party of China.
Ranging from memorials of historic sites, to former residences of leading members, to martyrs' cemeteries, more than 657 cultural sites related to the Party and revolutionary history can be found across the city.
In recent decades, the local government has been busy restoring these resources and integrating them into the tourism industry.
According to Su Zhiliang, director of the urban culture research center at Shanghai Normal University, a growing number of sites have been renovated and opened to the public since 2011, the 90th anniversary of the CPC's founding.
"Shanghai has been a major center of China's modern revolution since the 1910s. This has created rich resources related to politics, the military and culture," Su said.
He noted that the city has been promoting those resources since 1949, with the most famous being the Memorial of the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The venue was where 13 Chinese members and two foreign delegates of the Communist International organization convened the famous meeting in July 1921. The venue has been open to the public since 1952.
A three-year plan initiated by the local government in 2018 outlined requirements to improve infrastructure, facilities and customer services at CPC-related tourist spots.
In March, drafts on the protection of historic resources in Shanghai stipulated that the city government will set up a database of Party-related resources.
All such items will be categorized and afforded different protective measures accordingly.
In light of this year's 100th anniversary of the CPC's founding, many sites are undergoing renovation and are expected to reopen soon to mark the occasion.
Data from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism show that eight sites, including the memorials of the Site of the First National Congress and the Site of the Fourth National Congress, received 172,500 visitors during the weeklong National Day Holiday in October, a year-on-year rise of more than 24 percent.
