It has in a big way in Yan’an, the prefecture in northwestern China that was the center of the Chinese communist revolution from 1935 to 1948. Mao Zedong and other communist leaders lived in caves and pagodas carved into the hillside, and Chinese communists celebrate it as the birthplace of the revolution. And as China has grown into a world power, its leaders are trying to boost national pride through “red tourism” that celebrates communist touchstones such as Yan’an, according to NPR. Of course, Mao’s pagodas are an obvious choice to muscle up nationalism: Today Chinese visitors from other regions visit Yan’an so they can dress up as revolutionaries and sing the communist ditty “The East is Red” with performers wearing traditional peasant clothes.

It’s not an unusual story. Pick any place on the world map and the attractions often double as engines of national pride, community and connection. A couple of examples: The Mandalay Marionettes in Burma want to attract visitors to the National Puppet Theatre to revive an old art form that’s gotten submerged in military politics but represents a beloved part of the troubled nation’s identity. And in Greece, the government hopes citizens will visit the soon-to-open New Acropolis Museum in Athens so they can revel in their ancient glories—and (loudly) remind the British Museum to return the missing Parthenon Marbles.

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* Commie Chic in China

Photo of Yan’an pagodas by Got Plaid? via Flickr (Creative Commons ).