"Red collectables" get more expensive
Prices for "red collectables" have also soared in recent months.
In the past six months, the price for a set of stamps issued in 1967 rose from 40,000 yuan ($6,188) to 75,000 yuan ($11,601), an 87.5% increase.
According to Han Changcheng, vice chairman of a collector's association in Shenzhen, the government's promotion has helped stimulate the boom in red collectables. For example, he said before the year 2001, red collectables were only popular among collectors in less developed regions like Hunan and Henan Provinces.
Red collectables started to become popular from 2001 to 2003 when the country celebrated the 80th founding anniversary of the Party and the 110th birth anniversary of Mao Zedong. Since then, many entrepreneurs have joined the bandwagon collecting red items.
"Red tourism" heats up
Red tourism refers to the new craze for visiting "red scenic spots" and historical sites. These places, in one way or another, have relevance to China's revolution.
According to Xinhua News, the average growth rate of red tourism in the past six years was 20.4%. From January to May this year, 257 million tourists had visited red scenic spots in Jiangxi Province and the province's tourism revenues soared to 18.3 billion yuan ($2.8 billion).
Statistics from the popular tourism website, Tongcheng, showed that web searches for red scenic spots and red tourism companies in the first half of the year was 200 times the amount of last year and tourism reservations for red scenic spots tripled.
Another exciting change in red tourism occurred when local governments started to develop "red economic zones" centered on historical places by importing educational and leisure industries to the zone.
Hot red scenic spots in Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi Provinces have already attracted investment funds from Hong Kong, said Southern Weekend.
Red industries expand
It's now a tradition for China to celebrate the Party's birthday every ten years. This year, the routine ceremony was even grander.
"Both the Party and the public received benefits from the 90th anniversary," said Liu Simin, a professor from Zhengzhou University in Henan Province.
On June 7, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television announced that 28 films had been promoted by the government with a total target of 1 billion yuan ($155 million) box office earnings.
In addition, it has been announced in Shanghai that the first "red online game" adapted from the revolutionary story A Sinɡle Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire will be put online on August 1.
