Memorial makeover

In the letter, Xi underlined the importance of telling more stories about the CPC and its glorious traditions to guide Party members, especially those from the younger generations, so as to remain true to the Party's original aspirations.

Li Shijie is in his early 20s and is a member of the armed police force in Shanghai. He was chosen to be a narrator at the memorial site about half a year ago.

"I need to prepare for any queries that may be raised by visitors," Li says. "It's not enough to simply memorize the narration materials provided by the memorial. I have to think ahead."

Yang Zenan, an instructor with the armed police team that Li works with, says that a deeper understanding of history helps people learn more about society's value system and gain more confidence in the country's present and future.

"The opportunity to narrate at the site is also a chance to enhance ourselves. Learning the Party's history and telling it to more people have been popular among many of us over the years," Yang says.

On the renovation of the building, You says the project strictly followed the guidelines of restoring cultural relics to their original state. She recalls the difficulties in restoring eight gates and their related architecture at Middle Yan'an Road. The restoration had to undergo 12 delicate procedures.

Wu Gongbao, leader of the maintenance team, says the workers had to carefully peel off the multiple layers of other restoration works carried out over the past few decades from the building's surface.

"After three days of polishing the original brick layer, we painted the wall with a whitewash that was created using a special process," he says.