"Learning his story and inheriting his spirit is a good way to boost confidence on our approach to development," Zhou said, adding it is also an important part of the Party's history and "Red" education.

The memorial hall exhibits personal items Jiao once used — shabby clothes, shoes and a broken chair, for example — as he typically spent money on others rather than on himself. There are also hundreds of pictures of Jiao, mostly paintings. Only four photographs of him exist.

The museum has hosted more than 14.5 million tourist visits over the last six years. From January to April, the number of visits reached about 900,000, said Dong Ya'na, the deputy director.

Dong recalled that a team of foreigners from about 40 countries once visited the museum, and were surprised to find they were moved to tears.

Besides exhibitions, the museum also organizes on-site study tours and sends docents to companies and campuses to spread Jiao's story.