A tourist walks toward the Revolutionary Museum of Shajiabang on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Red

Red is the color of blood. A red tour in Shajiabang will tell you stories about locals who sacrificed both blood and lives to defend their homeland during World War II when Japanese troops invaded China.

Shajiabang, a historical town in eastern China's Jiangsu Province has become well-known throughout the country since its namesake modern Peking opera debuted in the 1960s.

The opera is based on real events that happened during the war time when locals bravely fought against the Japanese aggressors alongside the Chinese army amid Shajiabang's maze-like reed marshes.

Playwrights created all the opera's main roles based on the legendary experiences of several people such as a grandmother who helped wounded Chinese soldiers escape from a Japanese manhunt.

A historical museum in the front section of the Shajiabang scenic area will tell you all that real stories behind the modern Peking opera.

But according to Yuan, a tour guide who works in Shajiabang, people will find more than that. For the middle-aged and senior citizens who are familiar with the opera, the museum can conjure up more memories. For youngsters, the museum will teach them something new and encourage them to be brave.

Chinese over the age of 50 who visit the museum can recall their childhoods when entertainment was so limited that eight operas, including "Shajiabang", were widespread in China. Even children in kindergarten can perform selections from those operas today. Some still remember the "Battle of Wits" or "Zhidou", the most famous part of the opera "Shajiabang".

As for young people, they can get better understanding of the period when the Chinese sacrificed all their belongings, including their blood and lives, to defend their motherland.

In addition, a training camp has been set up in the Shajiabang scenic area, where students can go for outbound training after being inspired by the stories of brave local heroes told in the museum.