The site of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai is slated for a reopening after refurbishment to celebrate the Party's centennial founding anniversary in July.
As part of the facelift, the century-old stone-gate house will have its walls cleaned and roof tiles and carved lintels restored in the traditional style, according to the municipal CPC committee.
A new exhibition hall was built in July 2020, which is attached to the historic building, adding 9,600 square meters of floor space.
The new building will have an exhibition area covering 3,700 square meters highlighting the CPC's early days in Shanghai. The remaining space will be designated for lectures and an audience service center, according to the committee.
The restored memorial site is scheduled for a trial operation in May prior to its official reopening before July.
The founding fathers of the CPC secretly convened the first CPC national congress in the two-story brick-and-wood building in downtown Shanghai in 1921. The building was turned into a memorial site in 1952, and has since become a popular tourist attraction in Shanghai, with visitors in 2019 topping 1.4 million.
