China, Russia team up for 'red tourism'

Visitors at Mao Zedong's birthplace                        Photo: Brucke-Osteuropa / Wikimedia

Chinese and Russian tourism authorities have agreed to work together on activities that center on events in their revolutionary past, starting with activities between June 28 and July 1 in Xiangtan, in Central China, hometown of Mao Zedong.

There will be themed tours to historical sites of the history of the Chinese Communist Party, and commemorating China's victory in what it calls the "War Against Japanese Aggression" during the "World Anti-Fascist War" 70 years ago.

According to the statement by Chinese news agency Xinhua, "These activities will also declare the firm stance of the Chinese people who remember history and cherish peace." The two countries will sign cooperation memos, and Chinese and Russian cities will be encouraged to sign city-to-city agreements of their own.

In other parts of the world, where visits from Chinese have been growing rapidly, tourism products have also developed for the "red tourist" market, including tours of the hometowns of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and places where Chinese leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai lived while in Europe.