Advances in Social Science and Culture ISSN 2640-9682 (Print) ISSN 2640-9674 (Online) Vol. 7, No. 5, 2025 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc 34 Original Paper Innovation Pathways of Local Universities Red Resources Empowering SME Party Building Qun Shi1 1 Taishan University, Tai’an, Shandong, China Received: July 19, 2025 Accepted: September 12, 2025 Online Published: September 19, 2025 doi:10.22158/assc.v7n5p34 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/assc.v7n5p34 Abstract How to effectively integrate university red resources, as distinctive cultural resources, into enterprise Party building is an important topic for enterprises high-quality development in the new era. Taking the red resources of universities in the Tai'an City as a case study, this paper explores the application and practice of local university red resources in enterprises Party building. It proposes effective integration pathways and implementation methods for integrating these resources into enterprises Party building, offering new insights and references for innovating enterprises Party building in the new period. Keywords Universities, Red resources, Enterprises Party building, Innovation, Pathways Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with President at its core has placed high importance on the preservation and utilization of red resources, stating that "red resources bear witness to our Party's arduous yet glorious struggle and constitute the most precious spiritual wealth." In the new era and on the new journey, red resources have become a unique political advantage and vital spiritual resource for enterprises to achieve high-quality development. As multicultural hubs, universities possess rich and varied red resources, providing ample materials and robust support for innovation in enterprises Party building. Empowering enterprises Party building with the unique red resources within universities can infuse new vitality into it, enhance the cohesiveness and and combat capability of Party organizations in enterprises, and continuously improve the quality and standards of enterprises Party building. 1. Overview of Red Resources in Tai'an Universities The red resources in universities primarily encompass the red legacy inherent in their development www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 35 history. This includes physical artifacts and personal stories preserved in university museums and history archives, such as the history of the Southwest Associated University at Tsinghua University and the spirit of aerospace exploration at Harbin Institute of Technology. Furthermore, historic revolutionary sites on campuses, archival documents recording the predecessors' struggles, as well as the revolutionary spirit inherited by faculty and students, all fall within the scope of university red resources. These resources carry unique red memories and play a vital role in preserving the revolutionary legacy and promoting patriotic education. Tai'an is home to over a dozen institutions of higher learning, whose internally established university history museums, exhibitions on notable figures and events, and locally representative red cultural exhibition halls can all serve as distinctive red resources. Based on investigations, the typical red resources of universities in the Tai'an region have been categorized and summarized as follows: 1.1 Taishan University As a pioneer in Tai'an's teacher education, Taishan University has sustained an enduring cultural legacy. In the 1930s, its predecessor, the Tai'an County Normal School, served as a crucial bastion for disseminating progressive ideas and motivating young students to engage in revolutionary struggles. The publications The Rose and The Jackdaw, founded during this period, stand as powerful testimonies to the revolutionary activities conducted by the Tai'an Special Branch of the Communist Party at the foot of Mount Tai. Today, these publications are preserved in the Shandong Provincial Museum. Taishan University incorporates this historical narrative into its curricula, perpetuating the "Red Normal School Spirit." Wan Li Library, located on the campus of Taishan University, opened in 2010. Its exhibition, "Wan Li and China’s Rural Reform: Documentation and Photos", showcases the historic contributions of Comrade Wan Li, a pioneer of China’s rural reform, in advancing agricultural and rural development. It highlights the distinctive character of Chinese Communists in their courageous exploration and commitment to self-reform. The exhibition is open free of charge to all sectors of society both within and outside the province. Having welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors to date, it has become an Social Science Education Base of Shandong Province, a Social Science Research Base of Tai’an City, and a Patriotism Education Base. 1.2 Taishan College of Science and Technology The Red Wuwen Ideological and Political Education Base at Taishan College of Science and Technology was inaugurated in 2020. Guided by the principles of "tracing roots, exploring origins, preserving heritage, and showcasing legacy," it systematically presents "the passing of the torch, red classics, revolutionary spirit, red cinema, and President Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" ([2])through both three-dimensional and two-dimensional displays. This provides a vibrant, concrete, diverse, and contemporary learning platform for ideological and political education. The Red Wuwen Ideological and Political Education Base comprises six modules: Red Wuwen Interpretation, Historical Continuity of the Torch, Figures of Red Spirit, Classic Red Quotes, www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 36 Red Cinematic Classroom, and Learning Classroom. These modules comprehensively showcase the Party's journey through the content, composition, spirit, and value of Red Wuwen culture [3]. It enables visitors to delve into the heritage and essence of red culture, reflect on the Party’s growth and struggles, and appreciate its evolution and challenges, thereby fostering a powerful spiritual pillar that motivates students and faculty to strive with unwavering determination. Additionally, Taishan University of Science and Technology has established red cultural initiatives within its academies: Zhan Yan Academy features a cultural wall celebrating the spirit of mountain porters, hosts lectures on the Party's century-long history, and displays red cultural creations; Jiu He Academy dedicates an exhibition area to exemplary figures of the era and runs lecture series on their achievements. These academies deeply cultivate traditional Chinese culture, positioning "exploratory capacity" as their core leadership principle. They integrate the spirit of "curiosity, discovery, and sharing," encouraging visitors to pursue knowledge and truth persistently. 1.3 Shandong Liming Polytechnic Vocational College The Red Culture and Ideological and Political Education Observation Base at Shandong Liming Polytechnic Vocational College is a distinctive feature of the institution and an important practical venue for inheriting red culture and innovating ideological and political education. The base houses a collection of over 200,000 historical red materials and artifacts, vividly recreating the glorious journey of the Chinese people's revolutionary struggle under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. From the Xinhai Revolution to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, from the Liberation War to the founding of New China, each historical stage is represented through corresponding photographs and physical objects. This allows visitors to intuitively grasp the hardships and greatness of those extraordinary times and inspires them to steadfastly continue marching on the Long March of the new era.The base not only provides an immersive learning environment for students but also serves as an important window for people from all sectors of society to understand red history and experience the red spirit. The Museum of Ancient and Modern Education houses precious educational artifacts preserves over ten thousand sets of rare ancient medical texts. It traces the evolution of Chinese education over thousands of years, reflecting the confidence and respect of the Chinese people for the value of their native culture. Amid globalization, the museum contributes to the maintenance of cultural diversity and showcases the unique charm of Chinese culture. 1.4 Other Institutions Other higher education institutions in Tai’an also possess rich folk culture and red culture resources. These include the China Coal Digital Library within the library of Shandong University of Science and Technology, the Digital Exhibition Hall of Ancient Agricultural Texts at Shandong Agricultural University, and the Ancient Coin Exhibition Hall in the library of Dongfang College, Shandong University of Finance and Economics.These resources, along with other red culture sites in Tai’an such as the Culai Mountain Campaign Memorial Hall and the Lufang Campaign Memorial Hall and the Mao www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 37 Zedong Literature Museum, can be transformed into meaningful educational content that educates, inspires, and shapes character. They can be incorporated into enterprise Party building initiatives, driving the development of a enterprise cultural economy. 2. Current Status and Innovation Needs of Party Building in Small and Medium Enterprises in Tai'an Party building in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tai'an has achieved remarkable results in areas such as organizational coverage, base construction, and support for enterprise growth. However, several practical challenges remain, as detailed below: 2.1 Weak Awareness and Insufficient Emphasis on Party Building Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often have a limited number of Party members, with some having no Party members at all or experiencing high mobility among members. This makes it difficult to establish independent Party organizations, resulting in low coverage of Party structures and a lack of organizational foundation for Party building activities. Moreover, some SME managers prioritize production, operation, and profitability, viewing Party building as "time-consuming and labour-intensive." They underestimate the value of integrating Party building with enterprise development, which leads to the marginalization of Party activities and limited allocation of resources such as funding and personnel. 2.2 Weak Party-building capacity and Lack of Professional Personnel SMEs typically lack dedicated Party-building positions, with responsibilities often assigned to administrative staff or key operational personnel. Already occupied with their primary workloads, these staff members have limited time to study Party building knowledge in depth. Their lack of experience in Party affairs, coupled with low motivation to engage with red culture and policy theories, results in activities that often become mere formalities—such as mechanically fulfilling required tasks like the “Three Meetings and One Lecture” system—with little room for innovation. This situation also leads to irregularities in developing new Party members and conducting organizational activities, making it difficult for these enterprises to meet the review standards of higher-level Party committees. 2.3 Monotonous Activity Formats with limited Appeal Constrained by funding and space limitations, SMEs in Tai'an find it difficult to carry out field visits or practical training activities. They underutilized red culture resources from universities and local revolutionary education bases, resulting in activities lacking appeal. Most of the activities organized are limited to meetings and document studies, which are often perceived as dull and not sufficiently integrated with business operations. This lack of relevance leads to low enthusiasm and participation among Party members. 2.4 Weak Resource Integration Capabilities and Insufficient External Support SMEs in Tai'an are typically small in scale, with limited channels for collaboration with universities, government agencies, and social organizations. This hinders their access to red education resources www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 38 (such as university red education venues, expert lectures, and Party history research findings). Consequently, they have not developed Party building programmes that effectively integrate with red education bases, resulting in a lack of external empowerment for their Party building work. 2.5 Low Integration of Party Building with Business Operations and Poor Practical Outcomes Some SMEs in Tai'an exhibit an entrenched mindset prioritising business over Party building, viewing the two as unrelated. Failure to embed Party building into operational processes results in a disconnect between Party work and business activities. This prevents Party building from enhancing corporate cohesion and competitiveness, and undermines its role in guiding and advancing business operations. Concurrently, enterprises lack mechanisms to harness the vanguard role of Party members, hindering their ability to demonstrate leadership in business areas such as technological innovation and service optimization. 2.6 Absence of Long-Term Mechanisms and Insufficient Sustainability Some enterprise leaders adopt a perfunctory attitude towards Party building, reducing responsibilities to routine record-checking, form-filling and data entry. Without establishing effective long-term assessment mechanisms, pressure diminishes at each management level, and standardized, regularized systems (such as study plans and assessment mechanisms) remain unformed. Consequently, Party building becomes superficial, and its effectiveness proves unsustainable. 3. Innovation Pathways of Local Universities Red Resources Empowering SME Party Building The predicament of Party building in Taian's SMEs fundamentally stems from the tension between "limited resources" and "Specialized Party building expertise." The key to breaking the impasse lies in strengthening awareness of Party building, integrating external resources, innovating activity formats, and deeply embedding Party work into business operations—only then can Party building truly empower enterprise development. In terms of resource integration, beyond government support, combining the red resources available in Tai’an’s universities with enterprises Party building efforts is both a fundamental guarantee and a necessary condition for achieving high-quality enterprises development through high-quality Party leadership. The following section explores four pathways of local universities red resources empowering SMEs party building innovation. 3.1 Resource Exploration and Integration Universities in Tai’an possess unique red resources that serve as vivid educational materials for enterprises red culture education and Party building learning. To better explore and systematize these resources, universities should strengthen collaboration with the local Tai'an government and enterprises to integrate them into a dedicated database. This involves digitizing information on as red culture sites, historical figures’ deeds, academic achievements, and literary and artistic works, enabling enterprises to access and utilize these resources at any time. For example, exhibition content from university red memorial halls can be developed into online virtual exhibition halls, enabling enterprise Party members www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 39 to visit and learn remotely at any time. Research papers and lecture videos by experts and scholars on red culture can be uploaded to the database, providing theoretical learning resources for enterprise Party members. 3.2 Education and Training Cooperation Carry out special thematic training on red culture. Universities can invite experts and scholars on Party history to conduct specialized red culture training for enterprise Party members. Starting with the revolutionary history of Tai’an, these sessions can illustrate the glorious journey and great achievements of the Party—for example, by explaining the historical background, progression, and significance of the Armed Uprising against Japanese Aggression in Culai Mountain. This helps enterprise Party members deeply understand the spirit of struggle and firm belief of revolutionary predecessors. The training can adopt a format combining offline lectures and online live streaming to extend its reach and meet the learning needs of Party members from different enterprises. Establishing Practical Teaching Bases. university red culture venues, such as the Art Palace at Shandong Liming Polytechnic Vocational College, serve as practical teaching bases for enterprises Party building. Enterprises should regularly organize Party members to participate in practical teaching activities at these bases. Enterprises can regularly organize Party members to conduct practical teaching activities at these bases, enhancing their learning experience through on-site visits, live instruction, and scenario simulations. For instance, in the “War of Resistance Against Japan Exhibition Hall” within the Art Palace, holographic projections can be used to recreate scenes from the “Battle of Pingxingguan,” allowing enterprise Party members to immerse themselves in the brutal reality of war and the bravery of revolutionary heroes, thereby igniting their patriotic enthusiasm and sense of responsibility. 3.3 Innovation in Party Building Activities Jointly organize themed Party Day activities. Party organizations in Tai’an universities and enterprises can collaborate to carry out themed Party Day events, enriching both the format and content of these activities. For example, under a theme “Inheriting Red Genes, Promoting Enterprise Development,” universities faculty and student Party members and enterprise Party members can jointly visit local red culture sites in Tai’an. These include the Tai'an Party History Exhibition and the Party Constitution Education Hall established by the Tai'an Party Day Activity Centre. Following the visit, both sides can engage in discussions on how red culture inspires enterprise development and share their insights and reflections. Jointly organize red culture activities. Universities and enterprises can co-host red culture events, such as Red Culture Festivals, red story speech contests, and red-themed art performances. Enterprise Party members as well as university faculty and students are encouraged to actively participate in these activities to deepen their understanding and inheritance of red culture.For example, by organizing a red story speech contest, enterprise Party members can share how they embody the red spirit in their work—overcoming difficulties and achieving results—while university students can narrate stories of revolutionary historical figures. This fosters mutual learning and collective progress. www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 7 No. 5, 2025 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 40 3.4 Talent Cultivation and Exchange Cultivating Talent for Red Culture Dissemination. Universities should incorporate red culture dissemination into relevant professional curricula, nurturing professionals proficient in both specialized knowledge and cultural propagation. This initiative supplies enterprises with core personnel for red culture promotion, supporting corporate Party-building publicity efforts. For instance, journalism students trained in red culture dissemination techniques could produce high-quality Party-building promotional videos and posters for enterprises. Promote talent exchange and cooperation. Establish a talent exchange mechanism between universities and enterprises. Enterprises may select key Party members to participate in short-term training programs at universities to enhance their political literacy and theoretical knowledge. In return, universities can assign faculty and student Party members to enterprises for practical training, enabling them to understand the practical needs of corporate Party building and provide professional guidance. Meanwhile, both sides can collaborate on Party building research, jointly applying for research projects to explore new models and pathways for integrating red resources with corporate Party building. References Li, W. (2024). Research on Optimization Strategies for Red Culture Promotion Services in Shandong Provincial University Libraries. Qufu Normal University, 2024(04). Liang, Z. Z. (2022). Integrating the Hongyan Spirit into Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education: Implications, Value and Direction. China Light Industry Education, 2022(25). Project Introduction This article is a phased achievement of the Tai’an 2024 Science and Technology Innovation Development Project (Policy Guidance Category) "Research on Local Universities’ red resources Empowering enterprise Party Building Innovation under high-quality development" (Project No.: 2024NS105), and the Horizontal Project of Taishan University in 2024 "Research on Party Building Leading Brand Construction in Automotive Sales Enterprises" (Contract No.: 24HX0077). Author Profile Qun Shi, Associate Research Librarian at the Library of Taishan University, research interests include cultural development and ideological and political work.