Falling in Love with Yimeng Before It’s Too Late: The 2019 Red Yimeng Journey Kicks Off

The General Secretary once pointed out that the Yimeng Spirit, along with the Yan’an Spirit, the Jinggangshan Spirit, and the Xibaipo Spirit, is a precious spiritual asset of the Party and the country, which should be continuously carried forward in light of new era conditions. As the birthplace of the “Yimeng Spirit,” Shandong boasts profound revolutionary history and rich red cultural tourism resources. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, various regions across the province have delved deep into the essence of red culture, creating distinctive red tourism routes that fully showcase the new achievements in Shandong’s cultural and tourism development, especially since the reform and opening up 40 years ago. These efforts aim to unite hearts and minds and strive to open up a new phase of high-quality development. Recently, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism organized and launched an event called “Falling in Love with Yimeng Before It’s Too Late,” a red Yimeng journey that is now in full swing in the old Yimeng revolutionary base areas. This event is participated in by seven individuals who were born in the same year as the founding of the People’s Republic, who travel across the red soil of the Yimeng region, experience the tumultuous years, immerse themselves in the most authentic Yimeng life, and pay tribute to the Yimeng Spirit.

It is reported that these seven seniors are either retired soldiers or descendants of military personnel. In response to the General Secretary’s directive that “red genes must be passed on” and as a tribute to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the nation, the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism organized this six-day “old boys’” red culture tour. The “old boys” set off from Quancheng Square in Jinan, passing through iconic red tourism sites such as Menglianggu, Zhujialin Rural Complex, Zhuzhuang Village, the Chinese Red Sisters Revolutionary Memorial Hall, the Yimeng Mountain Yintai Tianmeng Scenic Area, and the Yimeng Mountain Revolutionary Base, among others that represent the Yimeng Spirit. They eventually returned to Jinan to watch the classic opera “Yimeng Mountain” at the Provincial Grand Theater.

Explore the Most Beautiful Countryside and Experience Rural Revitalization

Zhuzhuang Village, located in Tongjing Town, Yinan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, is hailed as one of “China’s Top Ten Most Beautiful Villages” for its idyllic charm—“every household has clear springs, every home is surrounded by bamboo, cottages hide within bamboo groves, springs flow over stones, orchards fill the air with fruit fragrance, and residents live long and joyfully.” Moreover, due to its preservation and tourism development of natural features like bamboo forests, springs, and ancient villages, as well as various folk activities, Zhuzhuang Village has become a model village for rural tourism in China. It is a comprehensive northern Yimeng mountain tourism destination with distinct Yimeng characteristics, spring town personality, bamboo village scenery, and rural charm, integrating vacation, leisure, and sightseeing functions. Over a decade ago, however, Zhuzhuang Village was actually a poor village with a population of less than 500 and an annual per capita income of less than 4,000 yuan. Under the leadership of the government and by firmly pursuing the path of new rural construction, driven by industry and benefiting the people through tourism, the protective development of the ancient village has propelled Zhuzhuang Village to become one of China’s top ten most beautiful villages and one of the most representative villages in the Yimeng Mountains.

The Zhujialin Rural Complex, the first national-level rural complex in Shandong Province and a key project in the transformation of old and new growth drivers, is located in Andi Town, 32 kilometers west of Yinan County. The entire park covers a planned area of 28.7 square kilometers. By vigorously developing agricultural industrial clusters, steadily advancing creative agriculture, and exploring the multifunctionality of agriculture, it promotes the deep integration of the agricultural industry with tourism, education, culture, health care, and other sectors. This achieves the organic unity of rural production, life, and ecology, as well as the deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. It explores a replicable and stable production and lifestyle for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, aiming to build Zhujialin Rural Complex into a beautiful countryside that embodies the “Three Beauties”—ecological beauty, production beauty, and life beauty—and serves as a Shandong model for rural revitalization.

Honor Revolutionary Martyrs and Carry Forward the Red Gene

As one of China’s Top Ten Red Tourism Areas, a National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base, and one of China’s Hundred Classic Red Tourism Scenic Spots, and also selected as a traditional and national defense education base by over 30 institutions including the National Defense University, the Academy of Military Science, and Shandong Province, the Menglianggu Scenic Area is located in Duozhuang Town, Mengyin County. The scenic area is divided into two parts: the Menglianggu Memorial Exhibition Area and the Menglianggu Battle Site Exhibition Area. The Menglianggu Battle Memorial Hall has a total construction area of 3,682 square meters, spread across two floors: the first floor features exhibition halls covering six aspects—the battle situation, battle decisions, battle execution, civilian support, celebration of victory, and heroic deeds of the Menglianggu Campaign; the underground floor is an immersive experience hall that uses multimedia technology to realistically recreate the Menglianggu Campaign, allowing more people to feel and learn about the revolutionary spirit of soldiers who fought bravely in those tumultuous years, inspiring future generations to remember their mission, carry forward the red gene, and forge ahead.

Known as the “Yan’an of East China” and one of China’s Four Major Revolutionary Bases, the Yimeng Mountain Revolutionary Base is located in Xiawei Town, Yishui County. This red land was one of the most important old revolutionary bases during China’s revolutionary war period, referred to as the “Sacred Land of Two Wars, Red Yimeng.” Historical sites such as the predecessor of the Shandong Provincial Committee, the site of the Su-Lu-Yu-Wan Border Region Provincial Committee, the former site of the CPC Central Committee Shandong Branch, the birthplace of the Masses Daily, the former site of the Eighth Route Army Shandong Column, and the former location of Chen Yi’s Command Post during the Menglianggu Campaign, all imbue the Yimeng Mountain Revolutionary Base with a profound revolutionary spirit. From 1938 to 1949, over the course of 12 years of revolutionary struggle, Communists spread revolutionary ideals and beliefs to the people from here, risked their lives for the interests of the people, fought bravely in battles, and dyed the 800-li expanse of the Yimeng Mountains red with their lives and blood, vowing to defend the people’s homeland to the death.

The Yimeng Spirit Never Ages, the Red Sisters’ Spirit Lives On

“The last bit of grain becomes rations for the army, the last piece of cloth is made into military uniforms, and the last son is sent to the battlefield.” This is the most genuine portrayal of the dedication of the Yimeng Red Sisters during the war years. The Chinese Red Sisters Revolutionary Memorial Hall, located in Changshanzhuang Village, Yinan County, is a Shandong Yimeng Party Spirit Education Base, the first and only comprehensive and systematic thematic memorial hall in China dedicated to the “Red Sisters,” and also the only revolutionary memorial hall in China themed around ordinary people.

The Red Sisters Memorial Hall not only houses detailed documentary photos, exhibits of prototype figures of the Red Sisters, and displays of real objects and materials, but also features a life experience exhibition area. Through large-scale live reenactments of daily life and production tools, visitors can authentically experience how the Yimeng people supported the revolution—making pancakes for the troops, sewing military uniforms, crafting military shoes, and rescuing wounded soldiers—gaining a true understanding of the selfless dedication spirit that “fed the revolution with millet and pushed it across the Yangtze River with wheelbarrows.”

The Spring Breeze of Reform Blows Everywhere, the Yimeng People Are Truly Spirited

“Everyone says that Yimeng Mountain is beautiful, ah, the scenery on Yimeng Mountain is so fine.” The renowned “Yimeng Mountain Folk Song” originated within the Yimeng Mountain Yintai Tianmeng Scenic Area, which is located in the northern part of Feixian County. It is the only national 5A-level tourist attraction, national forest park, and national geopark in the entire Yimeng Mountain area, serving as a comprehensive cultural and ecological tourism resort that integrates mountain eco-tourism, sports and leisure tourism, folk experience tourism, red cultural tourism, and vacation tourism.

As the core project of the all-for-one tourism pioneer zone developed by Feixian County through its commitment to reform and opening up, the Yintai Tianmeng Scenic Area has introduced advanced domestic and international technologies and management concepts for scenic areas. It has developed over 20 key projects and nearly 100 distinctive attractions, including cable cars, the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, the northernmost cliffside plank walkway, Dongmeng Sacred Land, Yin Yue Well, Wanghai Tower, Jade Emperor Palace, and Hulu Cliff Waterfall. It has become the scenic area in the Linyi region with the highest number of visitors and the highest economic revenue, and is the most distinctive tourism resort in the Yimeng area.

Falling in Love with the Future of Yimeng: During this Yimeng journey, the “old boys” can honor the revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Liberation War, visit all the wartime bases and memorial halls in the Yimeng old area, and once again undergo a baptism of the revolutionary spirit. They can also experience the authentic life of the Yimeng old area, listen to the enduring “Yimeng Folk Song” that resonates across the land of Qilu, taste the local pancakes, wear the unique cloth shoes of the region, and immerse themselves in both the unforgettable past and the vibrant, colorful life of the local people today.

This “Falling in Love with Yimeng Before It’s Too Late” red tourism event, initiated by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, not only showcases the province’s high-quality cultural and tourism resources—using culture to promote tourism and tourism to highlight culture, thereby creating a favorable atmosphere for the integrated upgrade of the cultural and tourism industries—but also hopes that the seven elderly participants will use their personal experiences to promote the Yimeng Spirit, carry forward the red gene, inspire more people’s patriotic fervor, and strengthen the sense of responsibility to stay true to their original aspirations, keep their mission firmly in mind, and forge ahead. This will enable everyone to become passionate, responsible, and action-oriented dream chasers of the new era.