Guilin's wartime legacy pins attention of Chinese youth

As the New Year unfolds, Guilin, a city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region famous for its picturesque landscapes, has seen a resurgence of interest in the role it played during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Study tour groups visit the cliff carving relics at Duxiu Peak on Nov 19, 2025. [Photo provided to guangxi.chinadaily.com.cn/guilin]

Young visitors, guided by social media platforms, flock to historical sites such as the former location of the Guangxi Provincial Art Museum and the ancient Chengyun Hall at the Duxiu Peak-Wangcheng Scenic Area, capturing their experiences in vlogs and photos that blend history with modern creativity.

This renewed interest follows the phenomenal success of the 2025 TV drama Zhen Di (The Stand), a story of progressive people who gathered in Guilin from 1938 to 1944 to promote a national united front against Japanese aggression through a series of cultural movements such as literature, drama, music, and art.

The TV drama has sparked widespread fascination about Guilin's wartime heritage. It acts as a cultural catalyst, turning Guilin's historical wartime narrative into a compelling city brand that resonates with younger generations.

A young person takes photos inside Guilin's museum dedicated to cultural figures of the Anti-Japanese War. [Photo provided to guangxi.chinadaily.com.cn/guilin]

During the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays in 2025, the Eighth Route Army Guilin Office Memorial received 28,200 visitors, while other landmarks like Qixingyan and the Guangxi Provincial Art Museum saw a significant increase in foot traffic.

As cultural tourism continues to evolve, Guilin is capitalizing on this trend by introducing locally inspired wartime-themed cultural products, further embedding its historical narrative into the fabric of modern cultural expression.