Red Tourism in Nanjie Village: Discover China’s Living Collective Life
In the vast tapestry of China’s countryside, Nanjie Village sits like a shard of red amber in Linqing County, Luohe. Known as Central China’s “Red First Village,” Nanjie is a living museum of collectivism. Walk its streets and you’ll encounter Mao-era slogan walls, uniform collective housing, the roar of instant noodle production lines, and the aroma of Nanjie-brand seasonings blending into a distinctive picture of new rural life. Whether you want to trace China’s rural development or simply satisfy curiosity about collective living, Nanjie offers an immersive, time-crossing experience.
1. Red Legacy: A Living Museum of Collectivism
Nanjie’s spirit is housed in Dongfanghong Square beneath a towering Mao statue and preserved in the yellowed photos of the Revolutionary History Exhibition Hall. As one of China’s few villages still operating a collective economy, every detail tells the story of the planned-economy era.
– Must-see landmarks: A 12-meter-high Mao Zedong statue stands in the center of the square; its base is inscribed with the golden characters “Serve the People.” The Revolutionary History Exhibition Hall uses artifacts and film to chart Nanjie’s leap from poverty to a billion-yuan village.
– Hidden easter eggs: Look for faded slogans on apartment exterior walls such as “Industrial Study Daqing” . The weathered lettering reads like frozen memory.
2. Factory Flavors: The Taste of a Collective Economy
The Nanjie Village Group, a village-run enterprise, puts the fruits of collective labor straight onto your plate.
– Food experiences: Try a bowl of hot dry noodles in the communal canteen made with Nanjie seasonings. During the instant noodle factory tour, sample the freshly packaged crunchy noodles in “chicken stewed with mushroom” flavor. The factory walkway is a glass corridor intentionally designed so the scent follows you.
– Souvenir picks: Red-slogan seasoning gift boxes, twist-fried pastry (mahua) from the collective farm, and local-branded instant noodles are singular “red-era” mementos.
3. A Living Scene Where Eras Overlap
At 7 a.m. the broadcast of “Dongfanghong” reliably wakes the village; workers in uniforms march toward the factories, and after school children play under cultural walls painted with worker-peasant-soldier murals. This ordered yet vibrant rhythm is Nanjie’s most moving landscape.
– Photography tip: Shoot the silhouette contrast between the Mao statue and modern factory buildings at sunset for dramatic compositions.
– Deep-dive experience: If a village representative meeting happens while you visit, quietly sit in the back and observe the modern application of the work-point system (“gongfen zhi”). It’s a rare chance to see how a collective accounting practice functions today.
4. Practical Guide: Be a Nanjie Villager for a Day
– Transport: From Luohe West Station (Luohe Xi) take bus 106 direct (about 40 minutes), or taxi to “Nanjie Village Dongfanghong Square” (around RMB 60).
– Local tips: The Monday morning flag-raising ceremony is worth an early start; afterward, visit the supply-and-marketing-style convenience store to buy a RMB 2 bottle of Nanjie mineral water.
– Warnings: Factory tours require advance reservations; some village areas prohibit commercial photography.
When night falls and neon signs on the square light up with slogans like “Long Live the Collective Economy,” it becomes clear Nanjie is more than a tourist stop. It’s a living case study about belief, choice, and continuity. Nanjie may overturn your preconceptions of contemporary rural China—like a carefully maintained time machine radiating stubborn, warm red light while charting its own course in the new era.
