Almost every day the historic site at Huangyangjie welcomes groups of special visitors. The site commemorates a decisive Red Army victory against overwhelming Kuomintang forces at Jinggangshan, China's revolutionary cradle in Jiangxi province.

Government officials dressed in Red Army uniforms visit an old house where Chairman Mao Zedong once lived as part of their five-day training course at the China Executive Leadership Academy at Jinggangshan in Jiangxi province last week.[Photo/China Daily via Agencies]

Dressed in the grey uniform of the Red Army or sporting a red ribbon, they looked more like soldiers than tourists, but unlike regular tourists, who immediately begin taking photos or buying souvenirs, the visitors sat on benches and listened as a woman related the history of the site. Several wept as they listened to the tales of war and sacrifice.

When the woman sang a revolutionary song about blood flowing as red as the azaleas that blossom across the mountains and plains, the visitors sang along and the strains of their song filled the site. The sound caused many tourists to stop and listen, including Zhan Yang, a 25-year-old accountant from Hunan province, who was visiting the site with her family.

"I thought they must be people from a company who had come to receive military training. However, I was surprised to learn that they were all high-level government officials on a training course," she said.

"I always assumed that officials at that level are surrounded by people wherever they go, and that they always criticized or taught others. I couldn't believe that they behaved just like students. I was really curious about their studies," she admitted.

To the man and woman in the street, the academies that train government officials are mysterious places. People wonder what they look like inside and what the officials learn there.

Importance of training

"Everybody needs to study and it's especially important for officials. It's not good enough to depend simply on self-study. Group study at executive leadership academies is an effective channel for updating their knowledge and deepening their understanding of the Communist Party. The courses can improve their ability to cope with rapid changes in the world and society," Mei Liming, executive vice-president of the China Executive Leadership Academy, Jinggangshan, said at a news conference on Sept 21.

Aiming to strengthen leadership education and to build a high-quality leadership team, the central government established three Executive Leadership Academies in 2005: Jinggangshan and Yan'an in Shannxi province; and Pudong in Shanghai.

The academies at Jinggangshan and Yan'an specialize in teaching Party history, team building, revolutionary tradition and basic social conditions. The students include Party and government officials, company executives and army officers. Meanwhile, the academy at Pudong focuses on social improvement and economic development.