From Revolutionary Trail to Prosperity Trail: How the Long March Route Is Now Blooming with Economic Vitality

The historical footprints of the Red Army have not only become a guiding light for generations of Chinese, but have also unleashed a wave of economic vitality that is improving the lives of local communities today.

The beautiful orchids planted in Yudu County, Photo by Bastille Post

The media delegation from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area visited local industries in Yudu County, seeing how the old revolutionary base area is leveraging its industrial strengths and revolutionary heritage to drive rural revitalization and benefit local residents.

From Yudu to Hong Kong: Orchids Find a Thriving Market

In 2019, Xinyue Agricultural Ecological Co., Ltd., based in Guangdong Province, invested in and built an "Orchid Town" in Yudu County. Spanning 3,000 mu (approximately 200 hectares), the town features an orchid garden, an orchid-themed holiday hotel, a science education center, and cultivation greenhouses. Home to more than 1,700 orchid varieties, it is the largest single orchid cultivation base in China.

The "Orchid Town," Photo by Bastille Post

The introduction of the development of the "Orchid Town," Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Liu Zhigao, General Manager of Ganzhou Xinyue Ecological Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd., said that the production base in Yudu County has an annual production capacity of 36 million RMB and provides over 800 long-term jobs for the local community. The corporation's annual revenue reaches 300 million RMB, of which exports account for 10 percent.

Mr. Liu Zhigao, Photo by Bastille Post

Orchid Town sells about 1 million orchids annually to or through Hong Kong, generating 20 million RMB in sales, a figure expected to reach 40–50 million RMB within three years. "Hong Kong and Macau have always been our primary sales markets," Mr. Liu said. "The best-selling orchids here are Phalaenopsis, especially the patterned varieties."

Phalaenopsis planted at the "Orchid Town," Photo by Bastille Post

Beyond orchid exports, the town's cultural tourism projects attract more than 10,000 Hong Kong visitors each year for tours and study trips. Mr. Liu noted that the number of Hong Kong tourists has been rising annually.

Phalaenopsis planted at the "Orchid Town," Photo by Bastille Post

Yudu's Selenium-Rich Produce Serves Greater Bay Area Tables

Tantou Village in Yudu County's Zishan Town has turned its selenium-rich soil into a competitive advantage. With over 30,000 mu (more than 2,000 hectares) of farmland dedicated to selenium-enriched vegetables, oil-seed camellia, and navel oranges, the village now supplies the Greater Bay Area, earning it the nickname "Shenzhen's Farm." Some of its products also reach international markets via the China-Europe Railway Express.

The exhibition hall displaying selenium-enriched products from Yudu County, Photo by Bastille Post

The introduction of the selenium-enriched products from Yudu County, Photo by Bastille Post

The selenium-enriched products from Yudu County, Photo by Bastille Post

The visitor Ms. Chen praised the flavour of the selenium-enriched products. Photo by Bastille Post

In addition to advancing its selenium-rich industry, Tantou Village has established a tourism company dedicated to vigorously promoting rural tourism. "We've set up a tourism cooperative, and now villagers can earn income without leaving their homes," said Mr. Sun Guanfa, a local resident. He added that he also operates a homestay, which is performing well and generating over 4,000 RMB in monthly income.

Mr. Sun Guanfa, Photo by Bastille Post

The beautiful scenery of Tantou Village, Photo by Bastille Post

The beautiful scenery of Tantou Village, Photo by Bastille Post

The beautiful scenery of Tantou Village, Photo by Bastille Post

The beautiful scenery of Tantou Village, Photo by Bastille Post

Experience the Long March Firsthand

Upon arriving in Qilushan Town, the media delegation followed the Red Army's Long March trail, walking in the footsteps of history and experiencing the spirit of the march that unfolded here 90 years ago.

The Red Army's Long March trail, Photo by Bastille Post

The media delegation followed the Red Army's Long March trail, walking in the footsteps of history and experiencing the spirit of the march that unfolded here 90 years ago. Photo by Bastille Post

Qilushan Town has leveraged its historical sites and other red tourism resources to attract over 300,000 tourists annually, boosting the village collective's income by millions of RMB and creating more than 200 local jobs.

The red tourism resources of Qilushan Town, Photo by Bastille Post

The red tourism resources of Qilushan Town, Photo by Bastille Post

On September 23, the Gansu and Shaanxi media interview teams of the Media Alliance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s "Retracing the Long March" joint interview tour series visited the Qinchuangyuan Xi’an Sci-Tech Innovation Fund Park to learn about the development strategy of the “new Long March” in sci-tech innovation. The delegation then attended the immersive epic live performance The Great Qin, experiencing Xi’an’s vibrant performance economy through an immersive sensory experience.

The Qinchuangyuan Xi’an Sci-Tech Innovation Fund Park, Photo by Bastille Post

The immersive epic live performance "The Great Qin," Photo by Bastille Post

To mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists, the All-China Journalists Association, the Guangdong Journalists Association and the Macao Journalists Association have launched a joint interview tour series titled “Retracing the Long March.” Following the Jiangxi tour and the Guizhou-Yunnan tour, the Shaanxi-Gansu tour is being held from September 18 to 24 in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces under the theme “Carrying Forward the Red Legacy of the Long March, Uniting the Synergy of the Greater Bay Area.”

A guided introduction to the park, Photo by Bastille Post

The Qinchuangyuan Xi’an Sci-Tech Innovation Fund Park is the first demonstration project of Shenzhen's “Qianhai Development Model” implemented in the Chinese Mainland, and an important practice platform for financial innovation in the China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone. As one of the first landmark industrial parks completed and put into use in the Central Innovation Zone of the Silk Road Science City, it closely aligns with national, Shaanxi provincial, and Xi’an municipal plans for high-quality financial development and scientific and technological innovation during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, deeply embedding itself in the construction of the Qinchuangyuan innovation-driven platform. It has become a core benchmark for the Xi'an High-tech Zone in implementing the innovation-driven development strategy and channeling financial resources into the real economy.

A guided introduction to the park, Photo by Bastille Post

Located in the core area of the Central Innovation Zone of the Silk Road Science City in the Xi'an High-tech Zone, the park is adjacent to the Yong'an Canal commercial facilities to the west, the “Future Eye” urban architectural complex to the north, and Xidian University to the east. Adhering to the development positioning of “gathering momentum through sci-tech innovation, empowering through finance,” it is coordinated, constructed, and professionally operated by Xi’an High-tech Sci-Tech Finance Industry Service Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Xi'an High-tech Financial Holding Group Co., Ltd. The park covers a total site area of 106 mu, with a total gross floor area of approximately 320,000 square metres and a total investment of RMB 2.918 billion. Construction began in February 2021 and was completed and officially put into operation in August 2022.

A guided introduction to the park, Photo by Bastille Post

The Qinchuangyuan Xi’an Sci-Tech Innovation Fund Park, Photo by Bastille Post

Xin Ru, Deputy General Manager of Xi’an High-tech Sci-Tech Finance Industry Service Development Co., Ltd., said the park currently has an occupancy rate of nearly 90%, with 66 enterprises having moved in, covering financial institutions, investment companies, and sci-tech innovation enterprises as the mainstay, including Iluvatar CoreX, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Xin Ru noted that, backed by the university cluster in the Xi'an High-tech Zone, with Xidian University’s new campus right across from the park, the park can obtain professor resources, technology transfer information, and outstanding student talent at the earliest opportunity, and several professor-incubated products from Xidian University have already landed in the park.

Xin Ru, Deputy General Manager of Xi’an High-tech Sci-Tech Finance Industry Service Development Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Dong Tieniu, General Manager of Capitech Venture Capital Co., Ltd., said that Xi’an is positioned as the “fourth pole” of China's semiconductor industry, and its appeal stems from a complete ecological closed loop. Samsung and Micron have already set up factories here, Huawei Research Institute and ZTE Research Centre have also established operations, while institutions such as Xidian University and various research institutes provide dense semiconductor talent.

Dong Tieniu, General Manager of Capitech Venture Capital Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

He revealed that the 12-inch large silicon wafers for semiconductors produced by Xi'an ESWIN Material Technology Co., Ltd. represent the most advanced specifications in current semiconductor manufacturing, with extremely high precision, and their performance is “on par with foreign products,” marking the entry of domestic silicon wafers into the international catch-up tier.

The ticket of the performance "The Great Qin," Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation then moved on to attend the immersive epic live performance, The Great Qin. The Great Qin is a large-scale epic fantasy performance that practises the spirit of President Xi Jinping's speech on “enhancing historical awareness and strengthening cultural confidence,” focusing on the history of the Qin Dynasty. Through immersive sensory impact, the performance enables a profound understanding of the Qin people’s patriotic sentiment. The Great Qin is not merely a performance, but a perfect integration of history and culture, patriotic sentiment, high-level art, and modern technology. The performance has successively won industry awards including the “Lingjing Award for Outstanding Case” and the “China Cultural Tourism Pioneer Award.” At the same time, The Great Qin, with its strong “performance economy” engine, activates regional development momentum, and with its “Eastern narrative + global language” paradigm, promotes Chinese culture onto the world stage.

The immersive epic live performance "The Great Qin," Photo by Bastille Post

The performance-themed merchandise, Photo by Bastille Post

The performance-themed merchandise, Photo by Bastille Post