Red tourism in Shaoshan

For 17-year-old Luo Yaqian, a two-day trip to the former residence of Chairman Mao Zedong in Shaoshan, Hunan province, inspired her to work hard to realize her goal of going to a reputable university. During Luo's trip, the students visited Mao's former residence, his memorial hall and Mao Zedong Square. They also watched a movie and attended a lecture themed on Mao's younger days.

Luo said she was deeply inspired by the late Chinese leader. "Mao decided at an early age to leave his hometown to make a difference with his life. I am also determined to work hard and achieve good results in the national college entrance exam to realize my dream." she said.

In April, the authorities in Hunan launched a special study tour campaign for all primary and secondary school students to visit Shaoshan to make good use of the city's "red tourism" resources. By the end of last month, more than 81,600 students had taken part in the study tours in 93 batches, local government figures show. The cost of these tours is covered by the government.

Li Qingshan, 65, and his wife, Sun Zhuyun, 63, visited Shaoshan early this month from Qingdao, Shandong province, as they feared there would be too many visitors during the 130th anniversary of Mao's birth on Dec 26. It was Li's second visit to Shaoshan, following one he made in the 1990s. "Shaoshan has definitely improved greatly over the years, and the local environment, roads and scenic spots are now much better." he said.

Li, who served in the military in Shenyang, Liaoning province, for several years in the late 1970s, admires Mao's skills as a military leader. "He was a true leader of the Chinese people, and dedicated himself to changing their destiny." he said.

When the couple arrived in the square, it was already packed with visitors waiting their turn to bow three times in tribute（致敬）to Mao. Some visitors paid for a two-man military-style escort to guide them to the foot of Mao's statue. After Li and his wife bowed three times to the statue, they had tears in their eyes. Sun said: "People of my generation have lived through tough times, so we have deep feelings for Chairman Mao. He was a savior. Without him, we would not have been able to dream of living happy lives today."

Archan Chan recalls her first experience working in a Chinese restaurant more than 14 years ago. Employed as an apprentice (学徒) chef, she was one of just two women in the kitchen – the other's sole job was to beat eggs. "She was unbelievably fast at beating eggs. I guess for a woman to survive in a traditional Chinese kitchen back then, you had to be the best in something," she says.

Today, Chan leads the kitchen of Ho Lee Fook, one of Hong Kong's most popular restaurants. After spending more than a decade working in fine dining restaurants in Australia and Singapore, she is one of a few female chefs who have risen to the top of a high-end Chinese restaurant. That's an impressive feat, given how incredibly challenging it has been for women to soar in high-profile Chinese kitchens.

Female chefs have long been a minority in professional kitchens around the world. But the situation is even bleaker in Chinese kitchens. There's no denying the work is physically demanding – an empty pot weighs about 2. 2 kilograms – but there are other factors at play.

In the past, masters of many Chinese kitchens would recruit apprentices and pass their skills to them. Few chefs would risk recruiting a female trainee into that harsh environment.

Given all of these barriers, not many women would even consider this male-dominated industry as an attractive career path. Thankfully, there are signs of a shift in mindset – the number of female Chinese head chefs has been rising in recent years.

"Even if it's a male-dominant kitchen, all everyone cares about is food – the cooking. They don't care if you're a male or female. Gender shouldn't matter," Chan says.

"Yes, there is a physical barrier but I think the mental barrier may be more obstructive (阻碍的) to the increase of women in Chinese kitchens," Chan adds. "It isn't just about how much you want it but how much hard work you're willing to put into it. There are days when you feel like your arms are falling apart and you can't move them anymore, but the next day, you're stronger and may be able to work a heavier work.

One dilemma that the super famous face is balancing the needs of privacy and recognition.

For some stars privacy is an overvalued thing. In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford went on their European honeymoon. The two international idols had divorced their previous spouses (配偶)and were concerned about how they would be greeted. They needn't have worried. In London their car was surrounded by admiring women who pulled Mary out of the car to shake her hand, still grateful after two years for her efforts selling war bonds. In Paris they couldn't get any sleep with crowds gathering below their hotel room to sing and play for them. In Amsterdam they attended a party and were mobbed (包围) by other guests who wanted to get close to them. The athletic Fairbanks placed his wife on his shoulder and escaped through the window. Finally, they found privacy in Hamburg, where their movies were not shown because of World War I. For an hour the famous newly-married couple walked the streets unnoticed until the bored Mary turned to her husband and said, "Doug, I'm sick of this. Let's go back to one of those countries where they mob us."

Joan Crawford had similar feelings. Once in the 1930s she was staying in New York getting over her breakup with Clark Gable. Tired of staying around her hotel feeling so down she told her entourage (随从) they should go out and get some fresh air. The entourage, who had trouble keeping up with the star's quick pace, were shocked when she walked away from their planned road. "Oh my God. She's going into Grand Central Station!" Someone shouted, "Look, it's Joan Crawford! And she was mobbed. It took them thirty minutes to escape the crowd and get back to their hotel suite. Her hair disheveled (凌乱), her dress tom and her face scratched, Crawford leaned against the door out of breath. "Oh, oh my. That was wonderful. Let's do it again!"