Red tourism boosts rural revitalization in Hebei's Pingshan county

Photo shows an exterior view of the former site of the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Xibaipo town, Pingshan county, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/Wu Qianqian)

Pingshan county in north China's Hebei Province is no ordinary provincial county. In the history of the Chinese Revolution, Pingshan's Xibaipo stands as one of the great monuments to the birth of New China. Once the site of the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the eve of victory in the War of Liberation, Xibaipo has become a major landmark of red tourism in China. What many might not know, however, is that Xibaipo is not just a revolutionary success story — it is also a case study in how red tourism can drive rural revitalization and bring prosperity to an entire town.

Students visit the Xibaipo Memorial Hall in Xibaipo town, Pingshan county, Shijiazhuang city, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/Andrew Smith)

Xibaipo town governs 16 administrative villages. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xibaipo has made red tourism one of its leading industries, strengthening the village economy and enriching residents, and has vigorously developed service industries such as catering and accommodation, study tours and tourist souvenirs.

The town has also embraced green development, building two comprehensive scenic areas — Baili Water Town and Red Celebration. It has turned Beizhuang village into a model village for rural revitalization, built the Nanzhuang Red Study Base and the Jiayu Village Rehabilitation Medical Center, and upgraded the Liangjiagou National Fitness Trail and the Xibaipo Spirit Square. It has also developed distinctive forms of agriculture — mountain apples, greenhouse vegetables, edible fungi and Chinese medicinal herbs — cultivating a diversity of economic growth points. At the same time, it has strengthened grassroots Party building and broadened channels for public participation in grassroots governance.

In 2025, Xibaipo town received more than 6 million tourists, and the per capita annual income of farmers in the town reached 16,000 yuan. Red cultural tourism and rural industries are prospering together, and the old revolutionary area has taken on a completely new face.

In the new era, Pingshan county keeps its revolutionary convictions close and vigorously carries forward the Xibaipo Spirit. In addition to red tourism, county authorities have focused on the immediate needs of residents. Starting with everyday concerns such as travel, parking, dining, schooling and medical care, it has implemented a number of practical livelihood projects, truly benefiting local people with the fruits of development.

Standing at a new starting point, Pingshan county continues to walk the revolutionary road, upholding both red culture and green development. It handles one livelihood matter after another, so that life in the old revolutionary base area becomes better and better.