The Jinggang Mountains in East China's Jiangxi Province are widely regarded as the cradle of China's Communist revolution. Over the past 40 years under the country's reform and opening up, a tremendous transformation has happened there. CGTN's Tang Bo takes a look at what inspires the locals to carry on the revolutionary spirit.

Over 90 years ago, the Communist Party of China set up its first rural revolutionary base in the Jinggang Mountains. With its successful experience here, the Party spread the revolution nationwide.

TANG BO JINGGANG MOUNTAINS "Forty years ago, another practice aimed at further opening up the country started. People here have been telling me that it is the spirit of Jinggang Mountains that has been inspiring local people, or even all Chinese people, to continuously make progress. So, the question is, what is the spirit all about? Let's go to find out."

Our first stop is Huangyangjie, one of the five most famous guard passes in the mountains. China's Red Army, with less than a barrack, defeated four of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang regiments in 1928, and kept the Jinggang Mountains revolutionary base safe.

TANG BO JINGGANG MOUNTAINS "Huangyangjie is actually the name of a boundary between Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province. The remote provincial boundary area can be easily defended, with steep mountains, which used to be a great geological advantage during war times."

"The spirit of the Jinggang Mountains is all about the indomitable courage that our younger generations should learn from."

"The spirit is about facing all kinds of difficulties with courage and determination."

Jinggangshan is the county-level city here, named after the mountains. Last year, its tourism revenue reached 13.8 billion yuan, approximately 2 billion US dollars.

From 1978 to 2018, Jinggangshan city's 15 economic indices have enjoyed double-digit annual growth, including urban and rural per capita disposable income.

Tremendous changes have taken place in the remote mountainous area, which has transformed from a rural revolutionary base to now a famous historical tourist site. And it's also working on extending its industrial chain.

TANG BO JINGGANG MOUNTAINS "No matter who I asked, either locals or visitors, their answers were different. But there is one thing in common, hard work. The spirit originates from a revolutionary basis, characterized by the fearlessness of hardship. This I believe is exactly what the mountainous area needs, to go out and get in touch more with the world. Tang Bo, CGTN, the Jinggang Mountains, Jiangxi Province."