China Launches Long March Spirit Media Campaign

China has launched a major nationwide media campaign retracing the historic route of the Red Army’s Long March, marking the 90th anniversary of the victory of one of the most defining chapters in the country’s revolutionary history. The themed reporting initiative, titled “Carrying Forward the Long March Spirit, Striving on the Road to Rejuvenation,” was officially launched on September 8 at the Central Red Army Long March Departure Memorial Park in Yudu County, Jiangxi Province, according to Xinhua News Agency.

A Historic Journey Remembered

The Long March was a massive strategic retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army between October 1934 and October 1936. Facing encirclement by Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War, more than 86,000 troops departed from Yudu County and traveled approximately 12,500 kilometers across some of China’s most treacherous terrain, crossing 24 rivers and climbing 18 mountain ranges. Of those who began the journey, only about 8,000 survived to reach northern Shaanxi.

The campaign, organized by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will see journalists retrace the route primarily taken by the First Front Army of the Red Army, while also covering paths taken by the Second and Fourth Front armies and the 25th Army. Reporting activities will span 15 provincial-level regions, including Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Chongqing, Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Ningxia and Shaanxi, as CGTN reported.

Voices from the Departure Point

At the launch ceremony in Yudu, the county widely recognized as the departure point of the Central Red Army’s Long March, journalists witnessed an immersive theatrical performance titled “Farewell” at the historic Dongmen Ferry. The production recreates the emotional scenes of 1934 when local residents sent off their loved ones to an uncertain fate.

“Many people’s ancestors departed from here on the Long March, carrying the great cause of family and country, heading to distant places and never returning,” said Lu Yufang, a Red Army descendant who performs in the drama. “Inheriting and promoting the Long March spirit is the inherent responsibility and mission of us Red Army descendants.”

Zhang Tengfei, a journalist from China Central Television, reflected on the sacrifices made by the local population: “More than 90 years ago, the local people gave their last bowl of rice as military provisions, their last foot of cloth to make military uniforms, and their last son to go to the battlefield.”

During the Soviet period, of Yudu’s population of over 300,000, some 68,000 joined the Red Army and 17,000 embarked on the Long March, a testament to the deep bond between the revolutionary forces and the local population.

From Revolutionary Trail to Modern Infrastructure

The campaign comes just days after a landmark infrastructure achievement connected the Long March’s starting point with its destination. On September 6, the G3998 Fuxing high-speed train departed from Ruijin, known as the “Cradle of the Republic,” to Yan’an, the “Cradle of New China,” establishing direct high-speed rail service between the two revolutionary cities, as Xinhua reported.

The approximately 11-hour journey replaces what took the Red Army over a year to walk on foot. “From southern Jiangxi to northern Shaanxi, the Red Army walked for more than a year back then; today we only need just over 11 hours,” noted Xu Panruyi, a journalist from China Daily.

Red Tourism and Economic Transformation

The campaign also highlights the dramatic transformation of former revolutionary base areas over the past nine decades. Yudu County recorded 11.694 million tourist visits in the first eight months of 2026, with tourism revenue reaching 10.7 billion yuan. Red tourism visits to Ganzhou, the prefecture-level city administering Yudu, rose from 41.94 million in 2023 to more than 53 million in 2025, according to China Daily.

The county has developed immersive experiences, VR/AR displays, and interactive performances to engage younger audiences. Zhong Min, head of Yudu’s Red heritage protection and development center, said these innovations have transformed how students engage with history: “The biggest change is that students have gone from hearing the story to becoming part of it.”

A Spirit for the New Era

The Long March spirit has been repeatedly invoked by Chinese leadership as inspiration for the country’s ongoing development journey. President Xi Jinping has emphasized its enduring relevance, stating: “No matter how far our cause develops, no matter how great our achievements, we must vigorously promote the great Long March spirit and continue to forge ahead bravely on the new Long March,” as highlighted in CGTN’s coverage of his key quotes.

Professor Song Xueqin of Renmin University of China’s School of CPC History and Party Building offered scholarly perspective on the campaign’s significance: “We revisit that great expedition that made history in order to remember the great Long March spirit, learn from it, and promote it, gathering the mighty force to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Broader Commemorative Context

The media campaign is part of a broader wave of commemorative activities marking the 90th anniversary. These include the “Together on the Long March” international communication project organized by China International Communications Group, which brought Chinese and international participants together to retrace the route from Yudu to Yan’an over 40 days this summer. As CICG reported, Chang Bo, president of the group, described the Long March spirit as “a spiritual treasure shared by all humanity” that “transcends national boundaries and ideologies.”

The Supreme People’s Procuratorate also launched a special interview campaign from September 7-14, with reporters visiting landmark Long March memorial sites in Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces, as documented on its English website.

What to Watch

As journalists fan out across the 15 provincial-level regions over the coming weeks, the campaign is expected to produce a steady stream of stories documenting both the revolutionary heritage and the contemporary transformation of these areas. The coverage will likely serve as a platform for showcasing China’s development achievements in former revolutionary base areas while reinforcing the ideological narrative that connects the country’s revolutionary past to its current modernization goals. With 2026 also marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the first year of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, the Long March commemorations are set to remain a prominent theme in China’s political and cultural calendar throughout the year.