Visitors experience a VR tour back to the 1921 scene of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai, on July 1, 2024. (Photo: Lu Ting/GT)

Yin Wan "enters" a virtual world after putting on a VR (virtual reality) headset. With a 360-degree panoramic view, she boards a ship at a pier in Shanghai - the old Shanghai of the early 20th century.

Following a digital tour guide, Yin sees workers marching for their rights, enters a traditional-style shikumen house, and witnesses the scene of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in July 1921.

The 20-minute VR tour took Yin back to the remote and hard years, when the CPC forerunners strove to find a way to save millions of Chinese people from weakness and poverty, while facing the threat of Kuomintang reactionaries.

"It was a quite novel and interesting experience to me," Yin told the Global Times on Monday. "I felt I'd never been so close to that history."

A group photo is taken in front of the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai, on July 1, 2024. (Photo: Lu Ting/GT)

To mark the 103rd anniversary of the Party on Monday, the memorial of the first National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai announced the launch of China's first-ever Red culture-themed LBE (location-based entertainment) VR immersive experience exhibition. The exhibition will run as a trial from Monday, and formally open to the public on July 23.

The VR exhibition is a new attempt by the memorial to practice Red education in a vivid, youth-friendly way, said Ruan Jun, deputy director of the memorial. 

"With the help of digital technology, users 'travel' back more than 100 years to Shanghai and experience 'in person' the birth moment of a great political party," Ruan told the Global Times at the exhibition's press release on Monday.

"Through that, we try to transmit the profound history and spirit of the CPC to the public, particularly young people, in a relaxed way," Ruan said.

The VR exhibition site is a few hundred meters away from the memorial. A special tour bus, which started operation on Monday, shuttles between the two venues and passes several historical revolutionary venues along the way, including the sites of the second and fourth National Congress of the CPC.

By riding the non-profit tour bus through the streets, visitors can learn about the early efforts of the Party, said the memorial.

At a square in front of the memorial, a series of activities were also held on Monday, to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the CPC. They included an oath-taking ceremony, a national flag raising ceremony, poetry reading, and song and dance performances.

Holding commemorative activities on July 1 each year is a tradition for the memorial to celebrate the CPC's anniversaries with the public. "With the colorful, interactive activities, we hope that more people can get closer to the history, original aspiration and founding mission of the Party," Xue Feng, the memorial's director, told the Global Times on Monday.

"It is my will to join the Communist Party of China, uphold the Party's program, observe the provisions of the Party Constitution, fulfill the obligations of a Party member..." that morning, hundreds of new Party members read the Party admission oath in unison in front of the memorial, with their right fists clenched and placed next to their ears.

Among them, a 20-something man surnamed Wu became a new CPC member only months ago. His face softened and eyes watered when he read the oath.

"It's such a solemn and meaningful moment to me. I'm so proud of joining the Party," Wu told the Global Times.

Shanghai residents of all ages participated in the activities and visited the memorial on Monday, to get to know about the great journey of the Party's continuous efforts for the peace and development of China, and a better life for Chinese people.

Resident Zeng Feng, 65, went to the memorial with his wife early in the morning specifically for the celebrations. "Over the past 103 years, the Communist Party has gone through trials and tribulations, working hard to unite and lead the people forward," Zeng told the Global Times at the memorial.

Both Zeng and his wife are veteran CPC members who joined the Party more than 30 years ago. "We feel honored and confident to have such a strong party leading our country to prosperity and great rejuvenation," said Zeng.

In 1921, CPC forerunners held the Party's first National Congress in Shanghai and Jiaxing, in East China's Zhejiang Province, turning a new page in Chinese history. As an important witness of the CPC's founding, the memorial in Shanghai attracts a growing number of visitors, with a record-breaking 1.36 million visits in the first half of 2024.