Passing on the Long March Spirit

In recent months， various commemorative activities have been conducted across China to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March. These include exhibitions of related photographs and artifacts， former Red Army soldiers publicly recounting the historical event and members of the public revisiting key locations along the routes of the Long March.

The primary purpose of the commemorations is to pass on the Long March spirit—overcoming hardship through bravery and determination. Under attack by the then ruling Kuomintang regime led by Chiang Kaishek， the Red Army undertook an expedition from bases in central and eastern parts of China to Yanan in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province between 1934 and 1936.

One of the objectives of the Communist Party of China （CPC） at the time of its founding in 1921 was to rejuvenate China， then an underdeveloped fragmented country. It was with a firm belief in this goal that Red Army soldiers completed the Long March. Today， realizing national renewal remains the aspiration of Chinas citizens. Therefore， commemorating the Red Armys great feats and spreading the Long March spirit are relevant for instilling faith in the nations populace. The initiatives are also conducive to bolstering confidence in Chinas development path as well as in its political system.

Moreover， the courage and wisdom shown by Red Army soldiers under the leadership of the CPC and their heroic feats during the Long March have been entrenched into contemporary aspiration. The indomitable spirit of those who took part in the Long March and the historical significance of this epic journey have won admiration from international observers， too. For instance， Harrison Salisbury， a U.S. author， wrote in his 1985 book The Long March： The Untold Story， “It was a triumph of human survival， a deadly， endless retreat from the claws of Chiang Kai-shek； a battle that again and again came within a hairs breadth of defeat and disaster...No event in this century has so captured the worlds imagination and so profoundly affected its future.”

Harking back to the Long March reminds contemporary generations how the Peoples Republic of China became what it is today and where it should be heading.

As part of its efforts to achieve national renewal， the CPC has proposed the Two Centennial Goals—doubling Chinas 2010 GDP and per-capita income by 2020 in time for the Partys centenary； and building China into a modern socialist country by the mid-21st century when the Peoples Republic celebrates its 100th founding anniversary.

As it works toward these goals， China needs to conquer new challenges in diverse areas such as poverty alleviation， urbanization and economic restructuring. The Long March spirit will be a source of motivation.