Beijing, Hebei jointly unveil revolutionary cultural heritage tour routes

Foreigners visit an exhibition featuring the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Xibaipo. Xibaipo, a revolutionary base in North China's Hebei Province about 350 kilometers from Beijing, was where the CPC leadership stationed from May 1948 to early 1949 before the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Photo: cnsphoto

Authorities in Beijing and neighboring Hebei Province jointly launched a program to promote revolutionary cultural heritage on Saturday to Monday, in commemoration of the 1949 move when then-Party leaders decided to move to Beijing.

In March 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders packed up and left Xibaipo, then the base of the CPC Central Committee in North China's Hebei Province, heading to the 350-kilometer-away Beijing. 

Chairman Mao ­Zedong compared the trek to "going for a big exam in the capital city" as they were leaving ­Xibaipo.

On the 75th anniversary of "going for a big exam in the capital city," participants retraced the path, visited locations such as the Xibaipo Central Committee site, Zhuozhou Railway Station, ­Shuangqing Villa and the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, all of which hold significant importance in the 1949 movement.

Through rich exhibitions and activities along the route, the participants engaged in learning and exchanges, rekindling their aspirations and missions to maintain a proactive attitude toward their current "examinations" in the new era.

A route map of the "going for a big exam in the capital city" pathway was unveiled on Monday, with multiple management units for revolutionary historical sites jointly issuing a proposal for the protection, inheritance and utilization of cultural relics along the route, showcasing the achievements of cultural relic protection and utilization in Beijing and Hebei through various forms.

A parallel forum was also held at the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall on Monday, where experts from Beijing and Hebei delved into topics such as the protection and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics, strengthening exchanges and academic discussions among the management units of sites along the route.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the "going for a big exam in the capital city" movement and the 10th anniversary of the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei rising to a national strategy.