Timeless echoes

Today, Hongfan has developed five jubensha games and 12 board games, hosting over 300 events each year, many of which involve university students.

"We also encourage young people to design their own games, and we support them in weaving historical knowledge into their creations," Duan explained.

One such project, Flames of Resistance, was created by students from USTB under the team's guidance. The board game features a unique "dual board" design: one side serves as the players' action area, while the other shows an actual historical map.

"While the outcomes can change based on player strategies, the historical map always moves forward — real history can't be reversed," Duan said.

The design once left a 10-year-old boy deep in thought. At one point, he almost gave up because of the game's difficulty, but his parents encouraged him, "If it's this hard on paper, imagine how tough the real battles were."

Motivated, the boy pushed through to the end. "History isn't as simple as it looks in books," he told Duan. "I also want to become someone as remarkable as these heroes."

Duan emphasized that the games remain faithful to historical reality. In one scenario, despite the players' best efforts to save a hero, they couldn't change his tragic sacrifice. The realization left the room in profound silence.

"At that moment, the heroes weren't just names in a textbook — they became real people, companions who had lived and fought alongside the players," Duan said. "That emotional connection is far more powerful than any classroom lesson."