The growth of Red Tourism has prompted Gutian to better utilize its advantages in terms of environmental resources and scenery to consolidate the results of poverty alleviation efforts and inject new life into the vitalization and green development of the countryside.
"We have employed the simple idea of improving the infrastructure while protecting the environment," Qiu said. He added that the local government has made great efforts to improve and clean the roads and stores to give the town a new look.
In 2015, a bullet train station opened in the town, and a number of bus routes were developed to take tourists directly to Red Tourism sites in Shanghang as well as Longyan city.
The improvement in the transportation infrastructure has attracted tourists from nearby cities and from other provinces, Qiu said, noting that great attention has been paid to preserving Gutian's environment and that construction of tall buildings is banned to ensure that visitors can enjoy the town's natural scenery.
Moreover, the fields of rape flowers in front of the conference site are well-tended so visitors can see them blossom in spring.
Shanghang is now focusing on forging a financial circle based on Gutian's Red Tourism resources and ecotourism around the Meihua Mountains, where the town is located.
Jobs boost
Liao Yongzhong, head of the Gutian Restaurant and Catering Association who runs a restaurant and guesthouse, said the influx of tourists has prompted more than 70 percent of local residents to engage in tourism-related businesses, including running guesthouses and restaurants and selling souvenirs at various sites.
The catering industry provides jobs for locals and boosts incomes, which is crucial for the vitalization of the countryside, he added.
Liao's restaurant offers food similar to that the Red Army soldiers would have eaten decades ago, including red rice, pumpkin soup and wild vegetables, so visitors can experience army life in olden times. According to Liao, his restaurant can serve an average of 100 people at each sitting, while the 18-room guesthouse can host about 35 people a night.
He said turnover at his restaurant and guesthouse has been rising since 2014 and exceeded 500,000 yuan in the first four months this year. The boom prompted his son to return home to run the family business in 2015.
Liao said he has witnessed great changes in his hometown. The streets are wider and cleaner, the environment has improved and more migrant workers have returned since Gutian became popular with guests from out of town.
Lai, the tour guide, expressed a similar opinion. During her leisure time, she takes her two children for walks near the conference site while telling them stories about Gutian.
Although the children are too young to understand the history, Lai said she wants them to know that today's peace and prosperity were won by the sacrifice of the revolutionary martyrs and that they should always be grateful for that.
