White roads hewn out of limestone cliffs set against an unexpectedly green landscape provide an unusual welcome to airborne tourists as they descend into Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province. It's a three-hour flight from Beijing, and then a two-hour drive to Zunyi, our first destination.

Guiyang is the main gateway to Zunyi, scene of some of the most decisive moments in China's 20th century history.

It's the city where Mao Zedong effectively took control of the Chinese Communist Party. Its growing stature as the trailhead of the province's "Red tourism" routes has brought the promise of high-speed rail links and its own dedicated airport in the future, but even today access from Guiyang is rapid and hassle free and shouldn't deter even the least hardy of travelers.

Despite its relatively modern architecture, there's something distinctly organic about Zunyi. Unlike many urban centers, the countryside and the city seemed to have agreed to a peaceful coexistence.

The verdant hills that ring the city also rise unexpectedly in its center. Each is dotted with modern white-faced buildings, while the Xiangjiang River entwines the whole city and attracts a surprising number of swimmers.

Getting around the city is simple, with the river an always proximate guide ensuring it's genuinely difficult to get lost for long.

The only challenge for the unwary visitor is the city's traffic, but it is a matter of minutes before you adopt the local habit of looking purposeful and striding across the lanes in the fairly certain knowledge that the city's drivers will let you pass.

Overlooking the city is Monument to Red Army Martyrs, a vaguely Soviet-style memorial erected to mark the 50th anniversary of the Zunyi Conference that bought Mao to power.

Today it's a place of pilgrimage, with many scaling the stone stairway that leads to the foot of the hammer-and-sickled column carrying the distinctive golden calligraphy of Deng Xiaoping: "Long Live the Red Army Revolutionary Martyrs."

Even early in the morning, small groups can be seen trailing up the mighty staircase to pay their respects to the men who helped shape modern China.

Today their influence remains strong. The city's historical associations have long ensured it would be well-established as a destination for Chinese tourists.

Now, with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC looming, increasing numbers of overseas visitors are drawn to the city in a bid to see where it really all began.

(China Daily 09/17/2009 page13)