Inheriting the Red Gene and Celebrating July 1st: Approaching Revolutionary Cultural Relics Resources | Cultural Relics | Revolution

In the midsummer season, the sunshine in Beijing is bright and warm. On the morning of July 1st, tourists were waiting outside the Red Building of Peking University, waiting to enter and visit the "Power of Faith - Rainflower Martyrs and Spirit" tour that had just opened the day before. Not only in Beijing, many people from all over the country spontaneously walked into museums and memorial halls on July 1 to review the red history and welcome the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

The landscape of the former Beijing editorial office of "New Youth" in the Red Mansion of Peking University. Photo by Wei Yanxing from People's Daily Online

Revolutionary cultural relics carry the glorious history of the heroic struggle of the Party and the people, record the great process and touching stories of the Chinese revolution, and are precious assets of the Party and the country. In recent years, various parts of the country have actively promoted the revitalization and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics and heritage, adhered to creative transformation and innovative development, and vividly told the red story.

Taking Multiple Measures to Improve the Exhibition and Display Level of Revolutionary Cultural Relics

The route survey map of the Xizang Xizang Highway, the letter of determination for "long-term construction of Xizang", the monument to the immortality of all the martyrs of the company of heroes who went to Tibet in advance... Since the opening of the "Snow Monument - Tibetan Revolutionary Cultural Relics Exhibition", the Tibet Museum has attracted a large number of tourists. The multimedia display area also attracts a large number of viewers to stop and learn about the glorious years that occurred on the snowy plateau through watching movies and other means.

It is reported that this exhibition of revolutionary cultural relics in Xizang has 8 multimedia displays and 10 scenes. It also uses Ali Advance Company Memorial Hall, Changdu Revolutionary History Museum, Bomi Red Mansion and other basic memorial halls as real-time connection venues to achieve multiple exhibitions in one museum through real-time connection. At the same time of cross regional display, it maximizes the visiting efficiency, expands the scope of the exhibition, and enables the audience to listen to the revolutionary stories in different regions of Xizang.

Recently, the audience visited the Xizang Museum for exhibition. Photo by Wei Yanxing from People's Daily Online

At present, there are over 36000 immovable revolutionary cultural relics in China, and the total number of revolutionary cultural relics in state-owned collections exceeds 1 million. Cultural relics departments, museums, and memorial halls in various regions have actively improved the protection, utilization, and management of revolutionary cultural relics resources. At the same time, by holding rich and diverse exhibitions, the impact of revolutionary cultural relics resources and the revolutionary culture they carry has been greatly enhanced.

On June 27th, the "Red in Art - Major Historical Theme Art Creation Project" exhibition was opened, hosted by the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China. This exhibition is a concentrated display of outstanding achievements collected since the start of the creative project, with a special collection exhibition area and a judge's work exhibition area. It selects representative works of judges participating in the project evaluation and a large collection of famous artists' art works, allowing the audience to feel the echoes and connections between works from different eras more diverse, and better obtain emotional recognition and in-depth understanding.

On the eve of July 1st, after renovation and upgrading, the Taicheng Special Branch Memorial Hall, the first rural branch of the Communist Party of China, was officially opened to the public. After renovation and upgrading, the memorial hall has been divided into six exhibition areas, including "Pioneering the City of Bohuo" and "Striving for a New Journey and Achieving Merit in a New Era". It has added structural languages such as wall landscapes, three-dimensional shapes, holographic images, and artistic forms such as round sculptures and reliefs, showcasing the great achievements of revolutionary predecessors from multiple perspectives to the audience.

In March this year, the National Cutural Heritage Administration issued the Guidelines for the Thematic Exhibition of Revolutionary Cultural Relics, which clearly requires that the theme exhibition of revolutionary cultural relics must enhance the sense of substitution, immersion and authenticity, and enhance the expression, communication and influence. To carry out targeted and distinctive education for different groups and audiences, enhance the ideological, intellectual, and interesting nature of revolutionary cultural relic themed exhibitions, achieve the spirit of seeing people and things, and continuously improve the educational quality and efficiency of exhibition exhibitions.

Vivid and innovative forms of expression for red culture

In addition to exhibitions with distinct themes, in recent years, various regions have continuously enhanced the vitality and influence of revolutionary cultural relics and expanded the coverage of social education by innovating communication methods and expanding utilization channels, while ensuring the historical authenticity, integrity, and cultural continuity of revolutionary cultural relics.

At the VR game experience center in the core area of Zhongfu Village in the Changting section of the Long March National Cultural Park, a game set against the backdrop of the Battle of Songmaoling is loved by young people. The game setting is that after the defensive fortifications on the mountain, players need to repel enemies attacking from the bottom up. The experiencer introduced that after visiting the exhibition of the first few museums and learning about the history of blood and fire during the Battle of Songmaoling, the game can fully deepen one's understanding and experience of that period of history.

Hengfu balcony brooch, "light up the new journey" desk lamp, regular script script of the Constitution of the CPC... Shanghai Red Culture Creativity Competition makes red culture integrated into life and accessible. The participating cultural and creative works have been innovatively explored in terms of practicality, interactivity, and participation, which are more in line with current consumer psychology and social needs. In terms of expressing red culture, they have changed from a single output to a more diverse and diverse one.

The 360 degree rotating audience seats, sometimes passing through narrow streets and alleys, and sometimes facing the surging Jialing River... The rotating and interlocking stage space, the magnificent dance scenery, and the multimedia dynamic panoramic sound and painting, the red stage play "Chongqing 1949" takes the audience back to the mountain city in front of Li Ming. It is reported that since its premiere, the drama has appeared in over 800 performances, with over 70% of the audience being young people under the age of 35.

It is worth mentioning that the revitalization and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics are constantly integrating with the high-quality development of red tourism. In September 2022, the "Road to Beijing for Exams" revolutionary cultural relics themed tour was launched, with a focus on developing the "Tsinghua Garden Station - Summer Palace Jingfu Pavilion, Yishoutang - Xiangshan Revolution Site - Xiangshan Revolution Memorial Hall" red cultural boutique tour, revitalizing the static red resources in the region; In May of this year, the construction project of the "New Fourth Army Moving East and North" revolutionary cultural relics themed tour path in Jiangsu Province was launched, integrating resources such as revolutionary sites and memorial venues along the route, promoting the construction of revolutionary cultural relics protection and utilization areas, and supporting the integration of Party history learning and education with red tourism development.

The model of the South Lake cruise ship in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, in the CPC History Exhibition Hall. Photo by Wei Yanxing from People's Daily Online

Where we know, we know where we go. By adhering to innovation in protection and development in innovation, and making revolutionary cultural relics "live" and "ignite", we can better draw wisdom and strength from revolutionary history, enhance confidence and courage to forge ahead.