Communist Party exhibitions lean on honour and obligation among young Chinese
- Museums seek to inspire students with stories of the party’s early days – but not everybody is won over
Xintiandi in downtown Shanghai used to be the name of a subway stop known for its chic restaurants and boutiques.
At the same time, just a few minutes’ walk from the station, an expanded memorial to the party’s origins in the city opened, housing a permanent exhibition to the organisation’s founding.
Since then, a steady stream of visitors – many of them students – have bypassed the shops to make their way to the patriotic-themed memorial, particularly on public holidays.
As part of summer holiday school assignments, students are required to visit patriotic exhibitions, and the one at the memorial is on a list of options they can choose from.
The idea is to inspire greater loyalty to the party through stories of its struggles and success but while some visitors say the approach is motivating, others are looking for a more diverse view of history.
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