Jinggangshan has long been known as the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army (RA), the forerunner of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the cradle of the Chinese Revolution. The county-level city in southeast China’s Jiangxi Province has transformed itself into a place where tourists can get a better understanding of how the RA used to live and residents, mostly descendants of the RA soldiers, can make a living by catering and teaching tourists about the life of the RA.

As the cradle of the Chinese Revolution, people come to Jinggangshan to honor the spirit of the RA.

In Bashang village, young visitors can take part in a training project called “A day in the Red Army”.

Visitor Xu Changjiang said the training was not as easy as she imagined. “I realized how difficult it is to be a soldier,” she said.

Jinggangshan is located in a remote and mountainous area in southeast China. Its location was a wartime advantage, but later it became a stumbling block for development. Many villagers are descendants of the RA men, and they used to live below the poverty line. But as the training projects and tourism boom, lives of locals have gradually been improved.

Villager Li Zufang helps these “soldiers” prepare a “Red Army Meal”. In Bashang village, over 40 families provide catering services for visitors. Each family can host up to 900 people per year.

“We’re getting old now. Thanks to this project, my wife and I can make a living at home instead of working outside,” Li said.

Developing such a business model was not easy. In the past, villagers used to cut trees and sell them. It took the local authorities several years to limit forest felling and promote tourism to its current scale.

“It’s only with a good environment that we can attract more visitors here. That’s the key of tourism,” said Li Zhonglin, former party secretary of the village's CPC committee.

A “Red Education” base has also been established in Bashang village, and locals are also preparing to provide home stay services for visitors.