An imposing brand new museum in the heart of the “red zone” in the southwestern city of Zunyi has become yet another icon, lionising Mao Zedong as the tallest leader in shaping modern China’s destiny.

Yet, on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s watch, a definite focus on the appreciation of Mao — sans the Cultural Revolution that raged through the sixties and the early seventies — falls well short of the revival of China’s foremost leader as a cult figure.

Museum at Zunyi

The museum, which opened only last year, is a tribute to famous Zunyi conference, held in a neighbouring building — an elegant blend of Western and Chinese architectural styles. For three days between January 15 and 17 in 1935, 18 top leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) clashed over the “correct” political line that needed to be pursued by the embattled Reds, who were confronting an existential threat posed by the rival Kuomintang (KMT) forces, led by Chiang Kai- Shek.

At the museum, Mao is the focal point, but the curators, under obvious political direction, have ensured that his prominent presence does not overwhelm that of other members of the new leadership team that emerged out of the Zunyi conference. Several exhibits showcase Zhou Enlai, the first Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as Deng Xiaoping, the architect of post-Mao reforms.

Despite the ups-and-downs of the Mao-era, young people at the museum appeared unwilling to find serious fault by the former Chairman. “It is said that Mao made some mistakes, but tell me who does not make mistakes. Look at the achievements of the Long March under Mao,” says Su Xiao Chun, a 14-year old science student from a local school. Su Yun, a father of two who was also at the museum said he had brought his children to the site so that “they understand our history”. “After all the Zunyi conference decided the future of China,” he observed.

An hour’s drive from Zunyi, another mammoth museum is emerging in the cusp of the Daloshan Mountains, signalling the government’s drive to connect young Chinese with their Red roots.

The new museum will commemorate the Red Army’s famous victory over KMT troops at the Loushan Pass, fought in the aftermath of the Zunyi conference.

The term ‘Red Tourism’ was first officially coined in 2004, when the government issued its ‘National Red Tourism Development Planning 2004-2010’ strategy. Yet, it has acquired fresh resonance as it has conflated with Mr. Xi’s credible and popular crackdown on corruption, and other reforms.