Paper records of CPC history on display in Beijing

The exhibition Red Memories reveals the history of the Communist Party of China through rare books and printed publications.[Photo by Wang Kaihao/China Daily]

While dozens of files, books and pamphlets now quietly lie on display at the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing, they tell rousing tales of a revolution.

Red Memories, the exhibition showing 340 copies of handwritten or printed records reflecting the history of the Communist Party of China, opened last week and will run through October.

The museum is affiliated with the National Library of China.

The display is among key events being held at museums across the country to celebrate 95 years of the founding of the CPC, as well as the 80th anniversary of the success of the Long March.

According to exhibition curator Lei Qiang, seven sections are designed with individual themes, ranging from earliest Communist publishing in China to Party constitutions throughout history.

"We don't aim to cover everything in one exhibition," Lei explains. "But the exhibits give visitors a clear view of the Party's development. Many are being displayed for the first time."

Indeed, it feels like a microcosm of China's revolutionary history in the past century.

For example, a 1915 issue of New Youth, an influential magazine founded by eminent socialist Chen Duxiu that gave publicity to Communism in China, is exhibited. The newspapers, cartoon collections and posters also mark important events at the time.