In celebration of the centenary of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) founding, China has strengthened the conservation of cultural heritage that tells the history of the Communist Party, and the course of the Chinese Revolution. The country now boasts some 36,000 sites, and more than 1 million cultural artifacts.

A series of engineering projects have been carried out this year. That includes refurbishing the red building of Peking University into a memorial hall of the CPC's early revolutionary activities in Beijing. The site of the first National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai has also been renovated. Both will be opened to the public in the near future.

Authorities will soon release a list of 109 thematic exhibitions nationwide to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. The aim is to showcase revolutionary-era cultural artifacts, and help the public learn more about the Party's history and traditions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the role of revolutionary cultural relics in inspiring people to build a modern socialist China and achieve national rejuvenation. He called on the Party and the whole Chinese society to better protect, manage and use these valuable assets for the CPC and the country.

In the past three years, China has launched over 4,000 exhibitions, showcasing the country's long and proud revolutionary heritage. In 2019, red tourism generated over 400 billion yuan (about $60 billion). 

"It's necessary for us to promote local economic and social development through the protection and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics," said Gu Yucai, deputy director-general of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Gu explained that old revolutionary base areas are all remote and poverty-stricken, and most are still underdeveloped today. He emphasized that revolutionary cultural relics should play a role in improving people's livelihoods.

The Chinese government said it will also highlight the significance of revolutionary cultural heritage in patriotism and revolutionary education. As for the centennial celebrations, they will make education of the history of the Party a big part of the exhibitions, while organizing popular activities as vivid materials for teaching.

"We aren't just blindly promoting a large-scale and comprehensive exhibition. Instead, we are also introducing nearly 20 exhibitions held at the county level – which covers a wide range, and is more convenient for the general public to visit," said Liu Yang, an official of the NCHA.

Liu added that they've noticed young people are showing more interest in revolutionary-era heritage nowadays. Therefore, they are also exploring more innovative ways, such as live performances and online exhibitions, to better present the history of the Party and the Chinese Revolution, in service of the public.