CPC birthplace becomes hot destination for inbound tourists

The Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai has seen a surge in international visitors, as more overseas tourists seek to know about China's path of economic and social development.

Located in Shanghai's Huangpu District, the memorial showcases the founding of the CPC and the Party's efforts and achievements over the past 100 years with more than 1,100 selected items across seven sections.

"I've been very interested in Chinese development these past few years and my friends told me to come here to find their origins," said Mateusz, a tourist from Britain. "I'm from Costa Rica. It's a small country in Central America. I came here because I'm very inspired by the Chinese people's revolution. I believe that what you guys have made in terms of social development, technological development, theoretical development is very important for the third world. I'm very excited to see the birthing place of the Chinese Communist Party. And I'm very happy to be here and I bought many gifts for my friends back home," said Ximena Madrigal, a tourist from Costa Rica. In 2025, the memorial received around 3.23 million visitors, including nearly 100,000 international visitors, according to official data.

A sample survey conducted by the memorial in May showed that those aged 15 to 34 accounted for nearly 60 percent of the overseas visitors, while those with a bachelor's degree or above made up about three-quarters of the respondents.

"The memorial has gradually become an important window for young overseas and highly educated visitors to learn about Chinese culture during their first visit to China. I believe the memorial has great role to play in showing Chinese culture. Over the past two years, the memorial has introduced audio guides in eight languages to facilitate independent tours for international visitors. We've also formed international tour guide teams in collaboration with multiple organizations to provide tailored services for visitors from different countries," said Yang Yu, director of the publicity and education department of the memorial.

CPC birthplace becomes hot destination for inbound tourists

A 28-member press delegation from 19 countries, joined by Chinese state media, has embarked on a week-long tour in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, gaining first-hand insight into a region that also serves as a core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The journey began Friday in Turpan. The first stop was a massive "photovoltaic plus solar-thermal" hybrid project featuring over 20,000 heliostat mirrors, a breathtaking sight that drew admiration from the visitors.

"Obviously, solar energy is used all over the world, but in the way I've seen it here and it was explained to me here, I haven't seen it before, especially since apparently like two different techniques are being combined to produce green energy for China. It's cool," said Stefan Zanev, freelancer for Bavarian Broadcasting.

The delegation also stopped at a Uygur hospital's sand-therapy center, where reporters sampled herbal teas and experienced heated sand treatments.

In the coming days, the group will travel to Hotan and Urumqi to observe the daily lives and work of local communities.

Int'l press delegation visits Xinjiang