Explosions, red flags: Chinese tourists reenact communist victory

Scores of tourists, many dressed in Red Army uniforms, stormed a hillside at Loushan Pass in China's Guizhou province, reenacting a pivotal 1935 battle. Pyrotechnics and simulated explosions added to the dramatic scene, which saw performers and visitors relive the conflict between Communist and Nationalist forces. Over 1,000 people attended the event, a popular attraction within China's "red tourism" campaign, which encourages visits to sites significant to the country's communist history.

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It was truly awe-inspiring, it felt as though I was actually right there in the thick of the battle.

Participants described the experience as "awe-inspiring," with one tourist, Jiang Jun, stating, "It felt as though I was actually right there in the thick of the battle." Another participant, Xu, who traveled from Guangxi province, emphasized the importance of memorializing such locations. "If Mao’s forces had not broken through nationalist lines at Loushan Pass, we wouldn’t have the new China that we have today and our standard of living wouldn’t be so good," he told AFP.

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I felt as though I could experience what those martyrs must have felt back then.

The reenactment depicts a key moment during the Long March, where Mao Zedong's Communist fighters broke through Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces. The capture of Loushan Pass was the Red Army's first major victory against the Nationalists, an event immortalized by Mao in a poem. Even young children, some as young as five, participated, dressed in Red Army costumes and raising toy swords, adding a unique element to the historical commemoration.

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If Mao’s forces had not broken through nationalist lines at Loushan Pass, we wouldn’t have the new China that we have today and our standard of living wouldn’t be so good.