A light show on June 13 at the Bund of Shanghai to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC Photo: IC

Recently, in a Shanghai suburb, two red buses become the most popular stars, with residents taking selfies in front of them.

These are the new project in the metropolises of China to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The buses would tour the "red" landmarks in Shanghai. They would depart from the memorial site of the First National Congress of the CPC at the city center. On the way, they would pass by the site of the Second National Congress of the CPC, the May 30th Movement Monument, the site where the first red five-star flag was hoisted in Shanghai after the founding of New China, and other remarkable historic sites in the CPC history. 

The 100-minute explanation during the tour contains 12 major sections, combined with 30-minute video materials, and more than 40 CPC history stories.

The service started in early June. It runs six tours a day from Monday to Friday, with only 25 seats available per trip. However, the buses are too popular right now and people could only book a seat a month later.

According to Shanghai-based news site xinmin.cn, the buses are jointly operated by the publicity departments of the municipality and Pudong district.

Only two weeks ahead of the CPC centenary, people are already looking forward to marking  the 100th anniversary of the CPC's founding through various ways, including some innovative ones like the red buses of Shanghai.

Also in Shanghai, visitors poured into the Pathe Villa, where China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers, was first recorded. The exhibition also features a real-life holographic performance, which restores the scenes of "March of the Volunteers" being recorded and dubbed in this building in May 1935.

In Guang'an, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Fuchuan, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, farmers use rice fields as canvases to "paint" gigantic artworks to celebrate the centenary. 

This year has seen a rocketed increase in red tourism in China. The recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday over the weekend witnessed a 200 percent year-on-year rise in red tourism trips, statistics showed.

According to a report from Ctrip, Beijing, Nanjing, Yan'an, Jiaxing, Zunyi, Baoding, Shanghai, Huai'an, Shaoshan, and Anyang are the hottest red tourist destinations. The Old Summer Palace, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the National Museum of China, and the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution are the most popular sites to visit.

A red bus in Shanghai featuring the elements of the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) would tour the "red" landmarks in Shanghai. Photo: IC

A red bus in Shanghai featuring the elements of the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) would tour the "red" landmarks in Shanghai. Photo: IC

Two children listen to China's national anthem at Shanghai's Pathe Villa, where the anthem was first recorded in 1935. Photo: IC

In the rice field at Chadian village, Guang'an of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, farmers draw "paintings" to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. Photo: IC

Global Times