Turn red legacy into local well-being

When addressing a gathering held in Beijing to mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March, President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for new achievements on the new Long March, and underscored the need to advance high-quality development and promote common prosperity for all.

The Long March route, steeped in revolutionary history, features numerous sites and oral histories that embody its enduring spirit. A key initiative is to creatively leverage this red heritage, transforming the Long March's cultural resources into tangible well-being for the residents and advancing rural vitalization.

The route traverses provincial-level regions including Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi, areas known for their challenging mountainous and karst landscapes. Historically, these regions faced extreme poverty due to difficult natural conditions and limited economic development. However, national poverty alleviation efforts and the establishment of the Long March National Cultural Park have significantly boosted local farmers' incomes and fostered the growth of specialty agriculture.

Between 2020 and 2025, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, which is home to key Long March starting points Yudu and Ruijin, rose by 52.19 percent to around 20,000 yuan ($2,990). In Zunyi, Guizhou province, famous for the Four Crossings of the Chishui River and the Zunyi Meeting, rural residents' income reached 21,252 yuan, further closing the urban-rural income gap.

The resources of the Long March are not just relics of revolutionary heritage; they are spiritual treasures that sustain the red gene and drive development in the former revolutionary base areas. Systematic protection and comprehensive interpretation efforts have been implemented to enhance the value of these resources. Since the introduction of the construction and protection plan for the Long March National Cultural Park, cultural relics and resources across 15 provincial-level regions have been coordinated and protected.

Revolutionary sites and memorial facilities have undergone preservation and digital documentation to link scattered relics. Protecting these cultural relics doesn't mean sealing them off; rather, by preserving their integrity, they can be transformed into venues for patriotism education and community cultural spaces. This approach facilitates the transition of their historical value into contemporary cultural significance, laying a foundation for future industrial transformation.

Transforming revolutionary cultural resources into drivers of regional development requires more than just displaying relics and offering sightseeing opportunities. It is crucial to integrate local resources, combining red culture with tourism, ecological conservation, and agriculture to develop sustainable, locally distinctive industries. The guidelines for revitalizing old revolutionary base areas emphasize the integration of culture and tourism, promoting red-themed, eco — and wellness tourism. This approach provides clear policy guidance for industrial development in these regions.

Red-themed tourism is a key tool for optimizing the industrial structure of the revolutionary base areas. For instance, in Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, Long March heritage sites in the snowy mountains and grasslands have been developed into 19 A-level scenic areas and five premium tourism routes. These sites attracted 5.8 million visits in 2025.

But red-themed tourism cannot rely solely on ticket sales. To avoid commercialized development, it's essential to leverage local ecological, agricultural, and forestry resources, as well as intangible cultural heritage. Transforming red resources into "resources for well-being" should be measured by whether local residents share the benefits of development. Profits must be reinvested in improving local livelihoods to prevent wealth from concentrating with investors and ensure that bustling tourist sites translate into tangible benefits for the community.

Establishing benefit-sharing mechanisms is crucial for addressing these challenges. Many areas along the Long March route, located at provincial borders in mountainous terrain, face challenges such as scattered resources, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of skilled professionals. Short-term and isolated projects are not enough; a coordinated institutional system involving cross-regional and multi-departmental collaboration is essential to effectively activate and transform red resources.

Significant efforts have been made toward this goal throughout the country. By leveraging collective economies and cooperatives, integrating farmers' land, housing, and labor into the industrial system, and establishing benefit distribution mechanisms, these initiatives effectively enhance the well-being of residents.

A series of national policy documents provides top-level design for vitalizing old revolutionary base areas. In 2021, the State Council set a goal for these areas to surpass the national average in residents' income growth and significantly enhance the influence of red culture by 2025. By late 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission confirmed that this income growth target had been achieved.

To further implement the central authorities' arrangements for vitalizing these old revolutionary bases, it is crucial to strengthen funding and resource support. Effective use of central budgetary investments and local government special bonds is needed to address gaps in transportation, communications, public services, and infrastructure along the Long March route, enhancing resource accessibility.

Cross-regional coordination should be deepened. Strengthening the red-themed tourism alliance along the Long March route will help eliminate administrative barriers and coordinate route development, brand building, and visitor flows, thus addressing fragmented development and overlaps.

Strengthening talent support requires combining local talent cultivation with external recruitment to build a versatile workforce skilled in market operations and knowledgeable in revolutionary history.

It is crucial to maintain a balance between protecting and developing revolutionary cultural relics. Prioritizing their physical safety and avoiding excessive commercialization will ensure that these red resources remain a lasting legacy.

The Long March is an ongoing journey. Turning its red resources into assets that enhance people's well-being is both a way to honor the country's revolutionary history and embark on the Long March of the new era. By leveraging red heritage, adhering to a people-centered development principle, balancing protection with utilization, and refining industries and distribution systems, old revolutionary base areas can continue to improve people's livelihoods while preserving the red legacy.

The author is the director of the Institute of Rural Development, Renmin University of China.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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