As the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is approaching, on June 1st, the second stop of the Party history learning and education series of the Party branch of the Western Returned Scholars Foundation (WRSF) came to Xibaipo. Located on the northern bank of the Hutuo River in the mountainous area of western Hebei Province, this small village is commented as "New China set off from here" and "The destiny of China was determined in this village."

WRSF members in the Xibaipo exhibition hall.

WRSF members first came to the Xibaipo Exhibition Hall to visit and study. Centered on the theme of "New China set off from here", the exhibition hall set up 12 exhibition rooms with time as the main line and major events as the highlight. The exhibition focuses on the activities of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo in the later period of the Chinese People's Liberation War. A large number of cultural relics, photos and historical materials are presented, supplemented by high-tech methods such as painting, sculpture, landscape, phantasm and half-view painting to show the great revolutionary practice of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo. The name of the museum was inscribed by Deng Xiaoping.

WRSF members in the Xibaipo exhibition hall.

After visiting the Xibaipo exhibition hall, the group of the WRSF went to the former site of the Central Committee of the CPC in Xibaipo to learn about the revolutionary practice activities of the CPC Central Committee during their stay in Xibaipo.

WRSF members in the former site of the Central Committee of the CPC in Xibaipo.

The former site of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo has preserved intact the former residences of the five major secretaries, including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and Ren Bishi, and 13 former sites, including the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee and the September Conference, as well as the War Room of the Military Commission, with a large number of exhibits including cultural relics, documents, pictures and materials, reproducing the appearance of the last rural command post of the CPC Central Committee back then. It carries the rich historical memory of the old generation of proletarian revolutionaries, represented by Mao Zedong, who fought and lived in Xibaipo, and conveys an important historical message and educational significance. 

WRSF members renewed their Party oath and took a photo in front of the oath wall at the former site of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo.

Through the one-day study, Li Jun, assistant director of the WRSF and secretary of the Party branch, said: "The history of Xibaipo is a testimony to the key historical moments of CPC, and also a treasure house of ideas for learning the history of the Party and understanding the purpose of the Party. Studying the glorious combat history of the Party leading the people during the Xibaipo period, we not only appreciate the great historical significance of the Party's policies and specific initiatives at that time, but more importantly, the significance of the reference to reality and the inheritance of the Party's purpose. All our decisions and systems for strict governance of the Party since the 18th National Congress can find their prototype and original purpose in Xibaipo, proving that the strong spiritual core of the Party has been continuously inherited and carried forward."

Li Jun stressed that the glorious history of CPC's journey at the Xibaipo stage is very impertant and the transformation of advantages into victories has extremely valuable practical reference significance. Today, we are at the historical point of the "two hundred years", facing the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's unprecedented changes in a century. At such an important historical stage, it is of particular relevance and value to carry forward the spirit of Xibaipo and draw rich spiritual nourishment from the tradition of revolution.

Li Haiju, executive deputy secretary general of WRSF was also deeply impressed by the trip to Xibaipo, "Xibaipo is a name that will forever be recorded in the history of the Chinese revolution, and a holy place that has left a magnificent chapter in the history of the Chinese revolution. This Party history learning and education activity has made me understand the spirit of Xibaipo more. The spirit of Xibaipo is the revolutionary spirit that inherits from the past and will enlightens the future. As we enter a new era, the spirit of Xibaipo will always be passed on and shine."

Afterwards, Li Haiju focused on three aspects of her trip to Xibaipo. The first is to inherit the spirit of patriotic education. Patriotic education is very necessary for every member of the Party, and WRSF should also take the patrioticspirit as its inheritance in its daily work, with the guidance of not forgetting the original purpose and remembering the mission, keeping the political check in the specific work of WRSF,passing on thepatrioticspirit.Secondly, the spirit of Xibaipo is like a symbol. This education activity has shown us that in the revolutionary war years, when living conditions and military equipment were very rough, the revolution was able to succeed because of the People's Liberation Army's bravery and bloodshed, which led to an absolute victory in strategy and tactics, encircling the cities from the countryside and moving from Xibaipo to New China. The third is to continue to maintain the revolutionary spirit ofgreat resilience. "In reviewing my pledge of joining the Party, I once again recalled the solemn commitment I made to the Party, to further improve my patriotic spirit and to always remain a communist, whether in good times or bad at work. Especially at this stage of the foundation's development, it ismore important for the foundationmembers to have the courage to fight and win, to always maintain a hard-working attitude, and to always maintain the sobriety and self-consciousness to catch up and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the foundation." Li Haiju said. 

Through this meaningful education activity on the theme of Party history, the young members ofWRSF also gained a valuable insight. They believe that although the time spent on visiting the revolutionary sites in Xibaipo is short, they have learned the "Spirit of Xibaipo", which includes the fine qualities of modesty, pragmatism, hard work and unity, and they should put this spirit into action in their daily work and life. The happy life we have now was built by the blood and sweat of countless revolutionary martyrs and was not easy to come by. Therefore, we should cherish the life in front of us, work hard at our jobs and contribute to building a better country.

The year 2021 is not only the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, but also the first year of implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan and starting a new journey of building a comprehensivemodern socialist country. In addition to this trip to the sites of Xibaipo, the foundation will also make use of various resources to carry out thematic studies, adhere to the Party's leadership, study the history of the Party, empower their minds with proper theories, improve themselves with rich knowledge, and transform the results of their theoretical studies into practical actions, so as not to forget never forget why you started, and go forward.