"The spirit of August 1" and "the spirit of the city" soar together.

"Revolutionary tradition" and "urban rise" play in concert.

——Discussing how to leverage the spirit of August 1 to vigorously promote the spirit of Nanchang.

(Nanchang August 1 Uprising Memorial Hall Liu Xiaohua)

The spirit of a city is its soul. Since the proposal of the spirit of Nanchang, due to insufficient publicity, it has not achieved a good effect of being widely known and guiding citizens' behavior habits. The spirit of August 1 is a revolutionary traditional spirit rooted in Nanchang, and its public awareness and recognition are higher than that of the spirit of Nanchang. As two spirits belonging to the cultural category of Nanchang, they are not contradictory, but mutually supportive and complement each other. The spirit of Nanchang can fully utilize the reputation of the spirit of August 1 to vigorously promote itself, expand its social influence, and become a strong spiritual driving force for urban development.

[Keywords]: Spirit of August 1, Urban Spirit, Nanchang

In recent years, almost all major cities at home and abroad have proposed their own urban spirits. For example, abroad there are the spirit of Paris, the spirit of New York, the spirit of London, etc.; domestically there are the spirit of Dalian, the spirit of Shenzhen, the spirit of Nanjing, the spirit of Hangzhou, etc. It is well known that the urban spirit is the soul of a city and a huge intangible asset for the city. As a form of cultural soft power, it has become an indispensable element of a city's comprehensive competitiveness. In order to shape the image of Nanchang, promote the cultural brand of Nanchang, and inspire the people of Nanchang to strive for progress, achieving the goal of rising in the central region, in 2007, Nanchang officially proposed the expression of "urban spirit": "magnanimous, open, honest, and striving for strength." Undoubtedly, the timely proposal of the spirit of Nanchang is of great significance. In the rapidly changing modern city, urban development cannot be separated from the support and reliance on urban spirit. For Nanchang to continue to develop rapidly, it also cannot do without the support of its unique spiritual character and spiritual concept. In a sense, the kind of spirit a city possesses determines how far it can go.

Since the proposal of the spirit of Nanchang, is it well-known and recognized by all? Has the spirit of Nanchang been internalized into the behavioral norms of Nanchang citizens, guiding their behavior? Has the spirit of Nanchang enhanced the city's cohesion and played its banner role? The spirit of August 1, characterized by "firm belief, perseverance, courage to explore, and daring to be the first," is a revolutionary traditional spirit rooted in Nanchang. Now that the spirit of Nanchang has been newly established, can we not mention or weaken the spirit of August 1? How should we handle the relationship between the two? This article attempts to explore the above questions in hopes of discussing with a wide range of scholars.

1. Survey and Result Analysis of the Spirit of Nanchang and the Spirit of August 1.

In order to understand the basic status of public awareness and recognition of the spirit of Nanchang and the spirit of August 1, the author designed a survey questionnaire based on the questionnaires designed by domestic and foreign scholars regarding urban spirit. The questionnaire was conducted in a written format, randomly distributed at locations such as August 1 Square, Qiushui Square, Zhongshan Road, and the train station square. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed and 200 were collected, of which 171 were valid, resulting in an effective rate of 85.5%. The basic situation of the surveyed subjects is shown in the table below.

Table 1: Basic Situation of the Surveyed Subjects.

Gender Male: 78(45.6%) Female: 93(54.4%)

Place of Origin Within the province: 108(63.2%) Outside the province: 63(36.8%)

Education Level

Junior high school and below: 21(12.3%) High school/technical secondary school: 44(25.7%)

College: 56(32.7%) Bachelor's: 43(25.1%) Master's and above: 7(4.1%)

Age Under 18: 15(8.8%) 18-30: 48(28.1%)

31-54: 72(42.1%) 54-59: 19(11.1%) 60 and above: 17(9.9%)

Occupation Teacher: 13(7.6%) Student: 42(24.6%) Self-employed: 12(7.0%)

General staff of enterprises: 16(9.4%) Government agency/public institution staff: 49(28.7%)

Enterprise management personnel: 3(1.8%) Farmers: 8(4.7%) Retired personnel: 14(8.2%)

Unemployed, laid-off: 11(6.4%) Others: 3(1.8%)

In the survey on public awareness of the spirit of Nanchang (as shown in Figure 1): 65 respondents chose "heard of it," accounting for 38.0%, of which 44 were from within the province and 21 from outside the province. 43.3% of respondents chose "vague," and 18.7% chose "not heard of it." However, among the 139 respondents who chose "heard of it" and "vague," only 34.5% knew the specific expression of the spirit of Nanchang, 53.2% felt vague about it, and 17% did not know. The main channels through which the public learned about the spirit of Nanchang were radio and television, accounting for 42.1%, followed by newspaper advertisements 22.2%, the internet 19.9%, and local promotional slogans 12.3%. This indicates that since the proposal of the spirit of Nanchang, it has not reached a level of widespread public awareness, let alone a deep understanding and practice of the spirit of Nanchang.

Figure 1: Survey on Public Awareness of the Spirit of Nanchang.

In the survey on awareness of the spirit of August 1 (as shown in Figure 2): 110 respondents chose "heard of it," accounting for 64.3%, of which 78 were from within the province and 32 from outside the province. 35 respondents chose "vague," and 26 chose "not heard of it." Among the 135 respondents who chose "heard of it" and "vague," 54 knew the specific connotation of the spirit of August 1, while 72 felt vague but filled in terms like "firing the first shot, daring to be the first, and not fearing sacrifice". These expressions are basically consistent with the connotation of the spirit of August 1. Only 19 respondents chose "do not know." This indicates that the awareness of the spirit of August 1 is relatively high, and the public has a basic understanding of its connotation. This may be due to the special position of the Nanchang Uprising in the history of the Chinese revolution. When asked whether they knew about the Nanchang Uprising, 95.9% chose "know."

Figure 2: Survey on Public Awareness of the Spirit of August 1.

After informing the respondents that the spirit of Nanchang city is "magnanimous, open, honest, and striving for strength," the public's recognition of the spirit of Nanchang city is relatively high, reaching 67.3%, with 22.8% uncertain and 9.9% disagreeing. This indicates that the public's recognition of the spirit of Nanchang city is quite unified. The eight characters of the spirit of Nanchang city are rich in connotation, condensing Nanchang's profound history to a certain extent, highlighting the characteristics of the times, and well showcasing the determination and spirit of the people to forge a brilliant future for Nanchang, which has widely recognized value and is easy to understand, thus winning the praise and recognition of the respondents.

In the questionnaire survey on the connotation of the "firm belief, perseverance, courage to explore, and daring to be the first" spirit of August 1, the public's recognition of the August 1 spirit reached 76.6%, with 13.5% uncertain and 9.9% disagreeing. This shows that the recognition rate for the precious spiritual wealth left to us by revolutionary predecessors is still relatively high. Compared to the spirit of Nanchang city, the public's recognition of the August 1 spirit is 9.3% higher.

Through the statistical analysis of the questionnaire survey results, we have a basic understanding of the current situation of the spirit of Nanchang city and the August 1 spirit, and we can make the following judgments:

First, the recognition of the spirit of Nanchang city is high, while the public's awareness is low. These two results seem contradictory. What causes this situation? In the survey on the "factors affecting the awareness of the spirit of Nanchang city," the questionnaire included options such as "insufficient publicity," "insufficient emphasis on Nanchang's revolutionary traditional culture," "citizen quality needs improvement," and "others" for respondents to choose from, among which "insufficient publicity" was selected very frequently, reaching 89 times. (See Figure 3) It can be seen that after the spirit of Nanchang city was proposed, insufficient publicity is the main reason for the awareness of the city spirit being lower than its recognition. In addition, I searched for relevant web pages about the spirit of Nanchang city on the Baidu search engine, and the time was mostly concentrated from the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2008, with content mostly about the immediate reports on the proposal of the spirit of Nanchang city. The lack of continuity in the publicity of the spirit of Nanchang city is also one of the reasons why this spirit is not widely known. For the city spirit to become a driving force for sustainable development, to unite people's hearts and inspire them, it needs to continuously expand its influence, permeate the blood of Nanchang citizens, and truly become a habit for the majority of citizens to actively and voluntarily practice the city spirit.

Figure 3: Survey on the Factors Affecting the Awareness of the Spirit of Nanchang City

Second, the awareness and recognition of the August 1 spirit are both higher than those of the spirit of Nanchang city. Although it has been over 80 years since the Nanchang Uprising broke out, the August 1 spirit it nurtured has been passed down and has long become the enduring ideological soul of this city. The Nanchang Uprising and the August 1 spirit have instilled a strong sense of reverence for Nanchang among the public, which is also confirmed by the questionnaire item "Overall Evaluation of Nanchang City." 71.5% of respondents chose the title "Hero City" to evaluate Nanchang. This indicates that "Hero City" aptly reflects Nanchang's position and role in the history of the Chinese revolution, represents the image of Nanchang city, and has become a shining city card for Nanchang. The spirit of Nanchang city, due to its short time since proposal and inadequate publicity, naturally has lower awareness than the August 1 spirit.

2. The Relationship Between the August 1 Spirit and the Spirit of Nanchang City

In Nanchang, is it necessary to advocate both the August 1 spirit and the city spirit at the same time? Will the public feel at a loss? Are the two contradictory? I believe that the August 1 spirit and the spirit of Nanchang city both belong to the category of urban culture. The August 1 spirit is rooted in the revolutionary spirit of Nanchang and is not contradictory to the spirit of Nanchang city. The two are interdependent, mutually promoting, and complementing each other, and are irreplaceable.

(1) The city spirit and the August 1 spirit support each other and shine together.

The city spirit, as a common value concept and psychological orientation of a city, must be rooted in the city's history. It should be the core tradition of the city formed through historical accumulation. Without a deep historical and cultural tradition, the city spirit loses its foundation and becomes a tree without roots, water without a source. The expressions "magnanimous, open" in the spirit of Nanchang city deeply excavate the historical and cultural connotation of Nanchang, inheriting the core connotation of the August 1 spirit of "daring to be the first and courage to explore." "Magnanimous" refers to a grand and magnificent momentum, a kind of generosity that requires strong courage and determination. "Open" is based on open-mindedness and requires a spirit of daring to be the first and a spirit of innovation. The great initiative of the Nanchang Uprising encompasses this spirit of magnanimity and openness. At a time when the Chinese revolution was in peril, under the shadow of white terror, the Communist Party of China chose to take up arms and resolutely fired the first shot in armed resistance against the reactionary Kuomintang, beginning the great exploration of independently leading armed struggle and creating a revolutionary army. As General Xiao Ke, a participant in the Nanchang Uprising, wrote in his poem: "The first shot of the revolution pushes forward, the heroic red banner rises in Nanchang, the night is quiet in Hongdu, and the river tide surges, let us not forget our determination to defend our rivers and mountains." Indeed, without this extraordinary courage and outstanding insight, without this spirit of daring to explore and innovate, there would be no "first shot" of the Nanchang Uprising.

The revolutionary spirit is a precious spiritual wealth left to us by our predecessors during wartime. For the revolutionary traditional spirit to thrive and continuously rejuvenate, it must keep pace with the times and constantly enrich its connotation. The spirit of Nanchang city, while drawing nourishment from the August 1 spirit, in turn endows it with a distinct contemporary connotation. In wartime, the August 1 spirit is manifested as a firm belief in the victory of the revolution, striving bravely for the goal of establishing a new China, and fighting tenaciously. In the new era of socialist modernization, specifically regarding the future development of Nanchang city, the August 1 spirit is manifested as striving to achieve the goal of Nanchang being the first to rise in the central region and working hard to build a civilized and developed modern city. The expression of the spirit of Nanchang city as "magnanimous, open, honest, and striving for strength" can be said to be the new connotation presented by the August 1 spirit after experiencing the tumult of history, combined with the new goals of Nanchang's development.

In addition, from the perspective of historical inheritance, the spirit of the city and the revolutionary spirit are closely linked. As the crystallization of urban culture, the city spirit represents the common values, spiritual outlook, and ways of thinking of the urban community. The August 1st spirit, which emerged from the arduous practice of the Chinese revolutionary path, embodies the spirit of the older generation of proletarian revolutionaries who continuously explored, innovated, and were willing to dedicate themselves for the interests of the nation. Although the objective backgrounds and historical stages of the two are different, they are both rooted in the excellent spirit of the Chinese nation that has accumulated over five thousand years, innovating and developing based on its nourishment. The spirit of Nanchang and the August 1st spirit share a common spiritual core and value orientation, which is striving for progress and seeking benefits for the people. In times of national disaster and when the masses were deeply trapped in difficulties, the pioneers leading the Nanchang Uprising were filled with passion, willing to sacrifice their lives and blood, just to explore a path to save the people from peril and achieve national rejuvenation. As clearly stated in the 'Central Committee Declaration' issued before the Nanchang Uprising: 'To realize the party's representation of the interests of the common people.' The announcement from the commander of the Second Front Army of the National Revolutionary Army pointed out to the people: 'This Nanchang Uprising is originally to save the country and the people.' Currently, we are in a new period of fully implementing the scientific outlook on development and building a moderately prosperous society. The timely proposal of the Nanchang city spirit aims to promote the good and fast development of Nanchang's economy, to realize, maintain, and develop the interests of the masses, and to build Nanchang into a city that everyone aspires to, a city where the fundamental interests of the people are fully reflected.

In summary, the August 1st spirit, as a traditional culture nurtured by Nanchang's revolutionary tradition, is the accumulation and essence of the Nanchang city spirit. The Nanchang city spirit points to the future development of the city, containing the August 1st revolutionary spirit, representing the inheritance of revolutionary spirit and its contemporary expression. The August 1st revolutionary spirit needs to keep pace with the times, continuously updating and injecting new vitality, and also requires the enrichment and supplementation of a positive urban spirit.

(2) The city spirit and the August 1st spirit each have their own characteristics and are irreplaceable.

The August 1st spirit is more often positioned and evaluated from a historical perspective. It is an important component of the treasure trove of Chinese revolutionary spirit and an indispensable shining link in the overall chain of Chinese revolutionary spirit. Essentially, the August 1st spirit is a proletarian revolutionary spirit formed by the blood and sweat of Chinese Communists and countless revolutionary martyrs during the revolutionary war years, condensed through their lives and sacrifices. It is not only a deep accumulation of the excellent spiritual bloodline of the Chinese nation during the revolutionary war years but also a brilliant embodiment of the revolutionary spirit and style of the Chinese Communist Party. It is closely linked with the Jinggangshan spirit, the Soviet area spirit, the Long March spirit, the Yan'an spirit, the Anti-Japanese War spirit, and the Xibaipo spirit. Therefore, the August 1st spirit is not only a precious spiritual asset of the people of Nanchang but also a valuable spiritual asset of all the people of China.

The construction of the city spirit highlights the unique characteristics of a city, showcasing its individual spirit, and it has strong regional characteristics. Regional characteristics are an important component that gives the city spirit its identifying significance. Because the regional characteristics of each city are different, the city spirits of different cities are also not the same. In other words, if the city spirit is a brand of a city, then this brand contains a certain characteristic. A brand always highlights its differences; the greater the difference, the stronger the brand effect. The city spirit should demonstrate a distinct characteristic that sets it apart from other cities. For example, Hong Kong, as an international metropolis, harbors infinite potential and opportunities, and its spirit is expressed as 'self-improvement, adaptability, flexibility, hard work, and never giving up.' This unique spirit summarizes the struggles and pursuits of Hong Kong people over the past century, while also conveying encouragement for innovation, continuous pursuit of excellence, and maintaining its position in the international competitive environment. Kunming, known as the 'Spring City,' enjoys a national reputation, and its city spirit of 'spring melting all things, harmonious development, daring to be the first, and pursuing excellence' succinctly reflects the core elements of Kunming's urban culture, reflecting both the cultural and geographical characteristics of Kunming and conveying the character and aspirations of Kunming people. The Nanchang city spirit of 'magnanimity, openness, integrity, and striving for progress' not only inherits the grandeur of the Nanchang August 1st Uprising but also embodies the cultural and historical environment of Nanchang, which is surrounded by rivers and lakes, and showcases the spirit of the times of Nanchang, which does not let the soil of the mountains go to waste and does not choose the small streams of rivers and seas. Therefore, the extraction of the city spirit comes from the city's own characteristics and reflects the unique temperament of that city.

Moreover, the city spirit carries the historical origins and cultural accumulation of a city, but it is more grounded in the reality of the city, reflecting the new era spirit and direction of struggle in the city's development, guiding the future of the city. Compared to the revolutionary traditional spirit, the city spirit has a stronger practical significance. The expression 'striving for progress' in the Nanchang city spirit is the bold declaration of the people of Nanchang and our goal of struggle. Due to geographical location and some objective factors, Nanchang still has certain gaps compared to developed areas. The 'striving for progress' spirit expresses our determination not to belittle ourselves or complain about the heavens and others, but to make the best use of our advantages, seize opportunities, and strive to build a more prosperous and modern heroic city.

3. Leverage the resource advantages of the August 1st spirit to vigorously promote the Nanchang city spirit.

Since the establishment of the Nanchang city spirit nearly four years ago, how can we expand its social influence and gain widespread recognition from the public? The Nanchang city spirit must continuously improve public awareness, enhance urban cohesion and competitiveness, and can leverage the awareness and reputation of the August 1st spirit. While vigorously promoting the August 1st spirit, we should utilize this advantageous resource to cultivate and promote the Nanchang city spirit.

(1) Fully utilize the cultural carriers of the August 1st spirit and combine them with the promotion of the city spirit.

The 'August 1st' culture is the core and essence of Nanchang's revolutionary culture, a valuable asset with significant historical and cultural value. Existing cultural carriers of the 'August 1st' include: the Nanchang August 1st Uprising Memorial Museum, the August 1st Uprising Memorial Tower, the former site of He Long's command, the former site of Ye Ting's command, the former site of Zhu De's officer education group, Zhu De's former residence, and some streets and communities named after 'August 1st.' Among them, the Nanchang August 1st Memorial Museum is known as the 'First Museum of Military History.' As a 'national first-class museum' and one of the first hundred national patriotic education demonstration bases, the Nanchang August 1st Memorial Museum carries important social educational functions. Since it opened to the public for free on January 30, 2008, the Nanchang August 1st Memorial Museum has received nearly 3 million visitors from home and abroad. This shows the significant impact and wide influence of the Nanchang August 1st Memorial Museum on the public. The Nanchang city spirit can fully utilize this window to promote itself. For example, in the 'Today's Nanchang' section displayed at the Nanchang August 1st Memorial Museum, we can focus on promoting the Nanchang city spirit. By creating exquisite displays and using modern exhibition methods, we can showcase the unique historical and geographical culture of the heroic city of Nanchang, as well as the open and magnanimous posture and spirit of the Nanchang people who are honest and strive for progress. Through such carriers, visitors not only receive education on revolutionary traditions but also leave a deep impression of Nanchang, thus achieving the desired promotional effect.

(2) Combine academic research on the August 1st spirit with the promotion of the city spirit to promote publicity through research.

Currently, Nanchang has established several research institutions such as the "August 1 Spirit Research Center" and the "August 1 Spirit Research Association." While accelerating the research on the August 1 Spirit, we can incorporate the study of Nanchang's urban spirit into the research on the August 1 Spirit, treating Nanchang's urban spirit as one of the subtopics for detailed study. We should focus on increasing comparative research between Nanchang's urban spirit and the August 1 Spirit, identifying the intrinsic connections between the two, and encouraging experts and scholars to produce original, forward-looking, and practical significant theoretical results, which will make the promotion more persuasive and inspiring. Conversely, this also expands and deepens the breadth and intensity of the research on the August 1 Spirit, which is beneficial for promoting the inheritance and development of the August 1 Spirit.

Based on in-depth research, hold some regional and national seminars or academic forums on the August 1 Spirit and Nanchang's urban spirit. Through this platform, not only can we exchange academic research results, but we can also widely promote the August 1 Spirit and Nanchang's urban spirit, truly achieving the goal of promoting through research.

(3) Carefully create a "Red Tour of August 1" themed travel, combining the promotion of the August 1 Spirit with the urban spirit.

Nanchang is known as "the place where the military flag was raised," and it has rich red tourism resources, including the former site of the Nanchang Uprising Command (the former site of the Uprising Command at Jiangxi Hotel, the former site of He Long's Command, the former site of Ye Ting's Command), the battle sites of the uprising (Youmin Temple, Water Guanyin Pavilion, Ruzi Pavilion, Catholic Church, Baihuazhou, Old Fantai Yamen), and the former residences of the uprising leaders (Zhu De's former residence, Provincial Women's Vocational School), as well as the former site of Zhu De's Officer Education Corps. These August 1 red tourism resources can be deeply developed, uniformly packaged, and connected in a line, carefully launching the "Red Tour of August 1" themed travel. In the specific design, we should deeply explore the cultural connotations of each red site, pay attention to preventing the phenomenon of similar display content and monotonous forms, and not just stop at site visits, pictures, and item displays. We should design some highly interactive red activities for tourists, such as learning to sing a song about the "August 1 Uprising," making an August 1 commemorative item, tasting a special August 1 food, etc. Through "August 1 Red Tourism," we can not only promote the August 1 revolutionary spirit, bring in red income, and promote the economic development of Nanchang, but also showcase the unique characteristics of Nanchang, allowing more people to understand Nanchang, appreciate its urban spirit, and enhance Nanchang's urban image.

(4) Hold large-scale themed activities related to "August 1," embedding the urban spirit into the promotion of the August 1 Spirit.

Holding large-scale, high-standard themed activities not only helps to enhance the city's visibility but also strengthens the citizens' sense of ownership and responsibility, improving the quality of the citizens. Through these large-scale activities, we can also broaden the citizens' horizons, cultivate open, civilized, and honest ideological concepts, which is of great significance for shaping the urban spirit. Nanchang can hold some themed activities with "August 1" characteristics, such as the three consecutive China Nanchang International Military Music Festivals held in Nanchang from 2007 to 2009, which is a great themed activity. The significance of the military music festival lies in commemorating the great achievements of revolutionary martyrs and promoting the great "August 1" spirit, allowing the revolutionary flame to be passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, the theme slogan of the military music festival, "Open and Magnificent, Resounding Nanchang," vigorously promotes Nanchang's urban spirit. Such themed activities should be continued to be held to form a lasting influence, striving to establish a military music festival of high standards and levels like the Edinburgh Military Music Festival in the UK, becoming one of the highest-level and most influential military music festivals in the country and even the world.

Mao Zedong once said, "Once the correct thoughts representing the advanced class are grasped by the masses, they will generate endless power." It is crucial to fully utilize the guiding, cohesive, motivating, and uplifting roles of Nanchang's urban spirit and the August 1 Spirit, which lies in persistent promotion, allowing it to be grasped by the masses, making it a common practice, so that the spirit integrates into the practice of building a modern Nanchang. Promoting the August 1 Spirit and vigorously publicizing Nanchang's urban spirit will allow these two spirits to play a passionate symphony, becoming a common ideal pursuit of the people of Nanchang, and gathering into a powerful spiritual force for building the city and creating the future, truly becoming a booster for Nanchang's development.