Tour of history

Other attention-grabbing items include a sand table of over 20 square meters, presenting a miniature landscape model of Shanghai in the 1920s. It showcases local landmarks bearing marks of the Party's growth from 1921 to 1933 through multimedia.

English guidance is now available, and a seven-language service will be offered in the future, Ruan says.

Since the memorial's reopening, people have shown a strong interest in the place. Bookings have been approaching a daily cap of 10,000 tourists. Tourists can book their visits seven days ahead. The management is considering raising the cap, according to Ruan.

"Basically we can receive approximately 3,000 feedback messages from visitors," Ruan says, adding that most messages are sent by people to be conveyed to the Party.

Ruan says it is necessary to show the public, especially the younger generations, the national rejuvenation over the past 100 years and difficulties and problems facing the Party and solutions it brought forward.

Yu Zhou, who works in the trading business in Shanghai, says he's impressed by the scale and inclusiveness of the exhibition. The Shanghai resident has visited many museums in other parts of the country.

"I know the Party's history, and this visit is about consolidating my knowledge and upgrading my understanding," Yu says, adding that listening to the stories behind the exhibits offers an immersive and memorable experience.

Shi Yuqing applied to be a volunteer at the new site last year.

"It's an honor and a responsibility to be here," the 61-year-old Shanghai resident says.

Shi says she got lost when looking for her parents who were at work when she was 7 years old. Shi went the opposite way and was helped by a woman in her 30s. "She gave me the bus fare and told me the right way."

The incident has been etched on her mind and she construed the woman's kind deeds as part of the Party spirit to serve the people. "That's why I'm here and I want to give something back to society, sort of passing on her spirit."

Shi's responsibility is to maintain order and keep safety on the scene. She works three days a week at the site. During her dealings with visitors, Shi says she can feel most people are enthusiastic to understand the CPC history.

"They would wait for a video to finish and watch it again to catch up with the things they missed," Shi says, adding that she will keep working at the site as long as she is needed there.