The Long March

The Long March saved a large section of the Communist forces from annihilation during the fight with Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang Forces. The route of this epic escape is well known and can be used as a framework for your own China journey.

In October 1934 these communist forces based in the border area between Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces was in danger of being surrounded by a Nationalist assault. They began a retreat that eventually took them some 8000 kilometres over the next 12 months - through some of the roughest landscapes in China.

One of the most significant aspects of this Long March is that one of the cadres, Mao Zedong, came to prominence during the retreat after demonstrating great leadership time and again. He, and Zhou Enlai, would use this as a basis to take eventual control of the whole Communist Party leadership, paving the way for the declaration of the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Gate on 1 October, 1949 and events thereafter.

There have been several repeats of the Long March route by modern adventurers on foot though the hardships encountered can hardly be compared. You need not make such a commitment but may find that visiting the sites within a section of this route adds interest to your China Journey. The start and end points both have suitable memorials worthy of visits, as do many of the major battlefields en-route.

Links:

• By Paul and Bernice Noll: an interesting summary of events
• the Wikipedia entry

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