The Long March is an epic of heroism stirring the soul, an arduous journey forged through trials and tempered into steel.

The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March; Ten thousand rivers and a thousand mountains are but trivial things.

From October 1934 to October 1936, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army held high the banner of resisting Japanese aggression and saving the nation. Traversing more than ten provinces and marching tens of thousands of li, the Red Army overcame innumerable hardships and made tremendous sacrifices, successfully completing the world-shaking and history-making Long March.

Looking back 90 years later, the victory of the Long March marked a new historical starting point. Since then, our Party has led the people in unfolding a magnificent new scroll of the Chinese revolution, continuously creating miracles across time and space. China’s progress and development today grew out of the Long March.

Long is our journey; we have crossed countless mountains and rivers. Still longer lies the road ahead. We must press forward over mountains and streams, striding toward the bright future of national rejuvenation.

The new journey is an expedition brimming with glory and dreams. General Secretary Xi Jinping made an inspiring solemn declaration: "No matter how far our cause advances and whatever achievements we make, we must vigorously carry forward the great Long March spirit and continue to forge ahead courageously on the new Long March."

(I)

"I was strongly impressed by the vibrant hope, enthusiasm and unconquerable human strength in those who devoted themselves to what they believed to be a wholly just cause." Ninety years ago, on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, after extensive contact with Red Army soldiers who had just finished the long trek, the American journalist Edgar Snow discovered the "Oriental magic" possessed by Chinese Communists and asserted it was the "light of national rejuvenation" for ancient China.

Revisiting the history of the Long March, an important observation by General Secretary Xi Jinping gives us much food for thought — "After the Long March, the Party and the Red Army grew stronger, not weaker." As a magnificent feat in human history, the Long March not only shook the world, but also triggered profound reflection. Faced with massive enemy pursuit and encirclement as well as an extremely harsh natural environment, why was the Red Army never scattered or worn down? Instead, it grew stronger amid battles and became an indestructible steel force.

History has written the answer in the scroll of time and deep in people’s hearts.

The greater strength came from the more powerful force of truth. Our Party found the correct path for the Chinese revolution and the right theory to guide this path. Integrating the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete realities of the Chinese revolution, the Party independently resolved major issues of the Chinese revolution and achieved unprecedented unity of the whole Party and the Red Army on the basis of pursuing and upholding truth. It also came from the Party’s enhanced capacity to grasp the general historical trend. Holding high the banner of national united resistance against Japanese aggression, the Party promoted the formation of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, sounded the clarion call for the awakening and rise of the whole nation, and pooled mighty strength for unity in resisting foreign aggression. It stemmed from a more solid foundation among the people. The Party has always taken root among the people, mobilizing, educating, arming, uniting and relying on the masses, thus winning their sincere support. It lay in heightened fighting spirit and steadily improved combat capability. The Party possessed both fearless courage to confront powerful enemies and fight bloody battles, and the wisdom to assess the situation and adopt flexible tactics for victory. And it came from a more robust Party organization. Throughout the Long March, the Party attached great importance to self-improvement, dared to carry out self-reform, and brimmed with vitality.

The Long March was an extremely profound revolutionary tempering for the young Communist Party of China. Forged in the tests of blood and fire, it refined the Party’s fine qualities and brought about a great turning point: our Party grew from infancy to maturity, the people’s army expanded from weakness to strength, and the cause of the Chinese revolution turned from setbacks to victory. "Once the Long March ended, a new situation began." In the historical course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the Long March is a magnificent epic written by the CPC and the Red Army, and a towering historical monument.

The journey stretches thousands of miles, yet the spirit endures forever. The most precious spiritual wealth left by the Long March is the great Long March spirit forged by Chinese Communists and Red Army officers and soldiers with their lives and blood. In the endless flow of history, as a vital component of the red gene and spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists, the great Long March spirit has been deeply embedded in the veins and soul of the Chinese nation. It serves as a powerful spiritual force inspiring the Chinese people to surmount difficulties and march from victory to victory.

Red banners billow, and the great road stretches boundlessly. As we forge ahead through wind and rain, the banner of struggle remains bright, and the power of the spirit grows stronger with the passage of time.

(II)

These were three days that changed the destiny of the Chinese revolution. From January 15 to 17, 1935, the Party Central Committee convened the Zunyi Conference to focus on resolving the decisive military and organizational issues of the time. Although the Start of Spring fell on February 5 that year, for the Party and the Red Army on the Long March, "spring" had already arrived.

At the historic juncture following the failure of the fifth anti-encirclement campaign and severe setbacks in the early phase of the Long March, the Zunyi Conference established in practice Comrade Mao Zedong’s leadership over the Party Central Committee and the Red Army. It began to establish the leadership of the correct Marxist line represented mainly by Comrade Mao Zedong in the Party Central Committee and formed the first generation of the Party’s central leadership collective with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core. It ushered in a new stage in which our Party independently addressed practical issues of the Chinese revolution, saving the Party, the Red Army and the Chinese revolution at the most critical moment. This was a life-or-death turning point in the history of the Party.

Mountains pierce the blue sky, their blades unbroken. Should heaven collapse, they prop it up.Starting from the Zunyi Conference, our Party gradually formed a strong leadership core and mature leadership collective. The Chinese revolution took on a brand-new look, and the Party and revolutionary cause kept opening up new prospects. History and practice profoundly reveal that a leadership core is crucial for a country and a political party.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, facing a severe and complex international landscape and arduous tasks of domestic reform, development and stability, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has sized up the situation, made resolute decisions, forged ahead and overcome difficulties. It has united and led the whole Party, the entire military and people of all ethnic groups in resolving many long-standing tough problems and accomplishing many major undertakings bearing on the long run. Historic achievements and transformations have been made in the cause of the Party and the country, writing a new chapter in the two miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability.

In the great practice of the new era, one conviction stands firm: The "Two Establishments" are of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for pushing forward the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. They constitute the fundamental guarantee for us to score new historic feats on the new journey.

Deng Xiaoping’s daughter once asked her father: "What work did you do during the Long March?" Without hesitation, Comrade Deng Xiaoping replied: "I just followed the Party!" On the long revolutionary road, the words most often spoken by officers and soldiers of our army were: As long as we follow the Party, victory will be ours. The Party’s leadership has always been the fundamental guarantee for the success of the cause of the Party and the people. To traverse today’s Long March, we must strengthen Party leadership, stay committed to exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, and strive unswervingly to advance the great new project of Party building.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will be held in Beijing from October 26 to 29. One important agenda item is to deliberate on major issues concerning sustained efforts to exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance. Having traversed over a century of struggle, the Communist Party of China is keenly aware that "to forge iron, one must be strong oneself". It constantly examines itself against the requirements of the times, alerts itself with a strong sense of hardship, and improves itself through the spirit of self-reform. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, we will promote full and rigorous Party self-governance with higher standards and more solid measures. This will build our Party into an even stronger force, unite hundreds of millions of people as "a solid piece of iron" under the Party banner, make us pull together with one heart and one mind, and create new historic glories through new great struggles.

(III)

"What heroism! Chen Shuxiang is a typical example of those martyrs." In April 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Memorial Hall of the Xiangjiang Campaign of the Red Army Long March and gazed for a long time at the oil painting Chen Shuxiang.

What extraordinary heroism it was! Chen Shuxiang remained unyielding and loyal to his faith even when mortally wounded. At the young age of 29, he fulfilled his solemn oath to "shed every last drop of blood for the Soviet". Such touching heroic feats always stir the soul, inspiring generations of people.

In the 1980s, the American writer Harrison Salisbury retraced the Long March and exclaimed: "Reading the story of the Long March, people will realize once again that once human spirit is aroused, its power is boundless." What kind of power was this? It was the unshakable conviction amid hardships that "the revolution will surely succeed", the spirit of sacrifice "ready to lay down one’s life for the liberation of workers and peasants", the indomitable will "forged in countless trials and fearing no hardship", and the heroic mettle that "the natural peril of the Wujiang River cannot stop the Red Army from crossing".

Campfires blazing on cold wild plains, red flags fluttering atop snow-capped mountains, troops pressing forward bravely across marshy meadows, the shining red star on coarse cloth military caps... On the storm-battered Long March road, lofty ideals and firm convictions inspired and guided the Red Army forward.

Someone once asked General Xiao Hua, lyricist of the Long March Suite, which line was his favourite in the lengthy work. He answered without hesitation: "Revolutionary ideals tower above everything else." Because of faith, they made unregrettable choices; because of loyalty, they made fearless sacrifices; because of conviction, they possessed boundless strength. The victory of the Long March was a victory of the ideals and convictions of Chinese Communists.

"So long as the stone remains, the spark will never die." Once the spark of faith is sown, it will surely grow into a blazing flame, illuminating the path for generations to come. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Whether in the past, present or future, faith in Marxism, conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation are the powerful spiritual forces that guide and support the Chinese people in standing up, growing prosperous and becoming strong."

Today, far away from the perils of war and living in peace for a long time, we are most vulnerable to the "disease of weak bones" caused by a lack of ideals and convictions. Therefore, we must hold high the banner of ideals and gather the strength of faith. To firm up our ideals and convictions, we must maintain the resolve of unchanging principles and aspirations, nurture the self-improving and uplifting spirit, fuel the drive to fulfill our duties, and forge synergy to accomplish the great undertaking with united efforts.

A foreign scholar commented that the Long March has become a symbol across continents: with determination and perseverance, humans can achieve their goals. With faith in our hearts, we have strength under our feet. Guided by the light of ideals and building a bright future with the power of faith, we will surely forge steadily along the right path and reach the shore of our dreams.

(IV)

"Where are you from?" After the battle at Tonggu Ridge in November 1934, local villagers anxiously asked a severely wounded Red Army soldier. The reply was: "From all under heaven." These three simple words expressed the original aspiration of Communists in their relentless struggle: to enable all people to live a good life.

What kind of army was called "Bodhisattva soldiers" and "the finest army under heaven" by the people? They maintained strict discipline and never took even a grain of rice from the masses without payment, even when starving themselves. They cared for the toiling masses, took the initiative to help the poor, and would sacrifice their own lives to protect the people. They won the hearts of the people. Even the enemy admitted that the Red Army "did no harm to ordinary poor folk" and that most people "were moved by their propaganda".

What kind of people did Red Army soldiers call "our parents"? To help the Red Army build pontoon bridges, villagers took down their door panels and donated timber. Some elderly people even gave the planks of their own coffins. Villagers scrimped and saved to supply daily necessities to the Red Army and risked their lives to rescue wounded soldiers. Boatmen braved raging currents to ferry the Red Army across rivers...

The Red Army loved the people, and the people loved the Red Army. Bound together through life and death and sharing weal and woe, they pooled immense strength to dispel darkness and turn a single spark into a prairie fire. On the Long March, the Red Army had no fixed rear base; the people were its most reliable rear. Popular support was the Red Army’s eternal "base area".

"If Brother Jinchang could see all this, how happy he would be." In August this year, 108-year-old Duan Guixiu, widow of a Red Army martyr, passed away. Those words she uttered when visiting Tiananmen Square moved countless people to tears. Through long years of waiting, her loved one who set out on the expedition never returned. Yet it is comforting to know that the "lovely China" for which countless martyrs yearned has come true. "This prosperous age is as you wished."

In Yudu, Jiangxi, selenium-rich industrial parks lift villagers’ incomes. Deep in the mountains of Guizhou, not far from the Huajiang Iron Chain Bridge where the Red Army fought bloody battles back then, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, setting world records in multiple respects, opens a new path for development. In Huining, Gansu and Jiangtai Fort, Ningxia, land once known as "the poorest under heaven" now thrives with flourishing industries and improved people’s wellbeing. The world for which the Red Army shed their blood is today a world where the people are masters of the country and hundreds of millions live and work in peace and contentment.

In Baila Village, Yongshun County, Hunan Province, a handful of corn left behind by the Red Army during their retreat warmed villagers suffering from cold and hunger. The corn has been planted generation after generation to this day. What was sown was hope, a testament to unity. Standing firmly on the people’s position, adhering to the people-centered philosophy, taking deep root among the people and relying closely on them, our Party has an unshakable foundation that no storm can shake. It will keep writing new chapters of delivering benefits to the people.

Source: Xinhua News Agency