A senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) called for paying more efforts to develop advanced socialist culture.

Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in his inspection tour to north China's Hebei province.

Li also urged officials at different levels to enhance the work on ethic education for the young people.

During the tour, Li visited certain relics marking China's major events in the revolutionary period between the 1920s and 1940s.

All these relics have been transformed into tourist attractions or education bases for the young people. Travel to these spots are usually called by Chinese people as "red tourism."

"The 'red tourism' should be considered as a political project, which is conducive to strengthening the education for the young people through learning from history. It can also be a cultural project for the promotion of advanced culture,," said Li.

Meanwhile, "red tourism" can be used to speed up the infrastructure construction in the old revolutionary bases, usually located in the relatively poor regions, according to Li.

Through the development of these projects, local people in these areas can soon get rich and alleviate poverty, he added.

Li's tour began on Tuesday and concludes on Friday.
 
(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2004)