Red tourism, a term used to describe visits to prominent sites from during China's revolutionary period, is gaining in popularity in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, local authorities said, with the city's red destinations becoming crowded with tourists during holiday periods.

Zaozhuang is home to a number of red destinations such as the railway guerrilla memorial hall and the Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall.

Taierzhuang Battle Memorial Hall was been built to remember those who died in the Battle of Taierzhuang in 1938, which marked the first major Chinese victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). More than 30,000 Chinese soldiers died in the battle, but only 4,000 of them have been identified.

Students offer flowers at a memorial hall in Zaozhuang to remember those who died in the Taierzhuang Battle. [Photo/langya.cn]

The two-square-kilometer Taierzhuang ancient town, surrounded by the Grand Canal, was also a site in the battle. There are 53 World War II ruins preserved in the ancient town.

The ancient town was named a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2014 and is a national 5A scenic area.

A railway guerrilla actively engaged in anti-Japanese activities in Zaozhuang during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The Railway Guerrilla Memorial Hall, located in the city's Xuecheng district, has been built to remember those heroes.

The memorial hall recreates brutal war scenes with modern sound and photoelectric technologies.

Railway Guerrilla Memorial Hall is located in Xuecheng district in Zaozhuang, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"It allowed me to experience the horror of war," said a visitor from Hebei province.

"It was a very meaningful tour for me and the most important lesson I drew from the war is that peace and stability should be cherished."

"As I visit the war ruins and listen to the tour guide, I started to shed tears over the cruelties inflicted during the war and the sacrifice of revolutionary martyrs," said a young visitor.

As a national demonstration base for patriotism education and a national red tourism scenic spot, the Railway Guerrilla Memorial Hall has been included in the country’s 30 red tourism classic routes, attracting a large number of tourists every year, said Shan Deliang, director of Xuecheng district culture and tourism bureau.

Visitors examine a set of daily supplies used by soldiers in war time at the Railway Guerrilla Memorial Hall. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]