Although more than 80 years have passed since the Communist revolution in China, nearly every Chinese citizen who visits Jinggangshan Mountain today still has a huge amount of respect for those who pioneered the fight and spent their hardest days there.

In the minds of the Chinese people, Jinggangshan is not only the birth place of China's revolution in the first half of last century, but also stands for a spirit that has inspired generations of nationals.

Mao Binghua is an 80-year-old living in Ciping, a small town at the foot of the Jinggangshan Mountain, where late Chinese leader Mao Zedong established the first revolutionary base area in 1927. The 80 year old man has dedicated himself to publicizing the spirit of Jinggangshan since he retired some decades ago as director of the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum, now a patriotism education base.

Mao said the essence of the Jinggangshan spirit can be summed up as "confidence in success and persistence in belief."

"The persistence of the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the hard revolution period is still a mindset stimulus for many people in their current work," he said. "The spirit indicates that no one should waver in his ideals and beliefs."

Mao Binghua usually gives more than 200 lectures in one year, and his audiences consisted of mainly college students, local government officials and the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). His longest trip was in 1997 when he gave a speech to PLA troops stationed in Hong Kong, which developed from the former Red Army troops at the Jinggangshan Mountain.

Mao Binghua believes that the Jinggangshan spirit can also be effective in boosting morale as part of the current efforts to tackle the financial crisis. He said building strong confidence for the country's capability to overcome difficulties should come above all other economic stimulus measures.

Mao said he hopes everyone in the country, especially young people, can carry forward the Jinggangshan spirit.

His dream is likely to come true soon.

In today's China with its remarkable economic changes, the spirit that once encouraged numerous revolutionists to fight for success remains not only alive in the memories of older citizens, but has also become an impetus for many youngsters.

Xiang Yongbin is one of 10 volunteers from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality who are spending their summer vacation visiting the historical sites of China's revolution throughout the country. He and his colleagues visited Jinggangshan Revolution Museum on Sunday morning. He said the visit gave him a comprehensive overview of the pioneers' lives on Jinggangshan Mountain and helped him better understand the difficulties they faced in the early stages of the revolution.

"Many young college students don't know much about that period, and they can't understand the hardship the revolutionists had to cope with at that time," Xiang said. "But I think it's important to realize that our current happy life didn't come easily, and what prompted our revolutionary pioneers to fight was their firm belief in the final victory."

Li Fang, another member of the group of volunteers, said the Jinggangshan spirit that has influenced the country for nearly a century still offers him guidance in his daily life.

"The essence of the Jinggangshan spirit makes me brave to forge ahead and to deal with difficulties," Li said. "The spirit will never change, and my belief will persist, too. The belief will make me strong in mind, which will help me gain momentum in doing whatever I am engaged in."

Wang You, a junior college student, said she decided to join the tour to retrace the route that recorded China's revolution history. She said she believes the spirit of the pioneers can give her encouragement especially when she encounters difficulties in life and in her academic work.