China News Service, Beijing, October 19. Title: Xi Jinping said about the Long March: The Red Army and ethnic minority compatriots are "like brothers and sisters"
China News Service reporter Li Jingze
"During the Long March, the Red Army passed through areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, and we were like brothers and sisters with our ethnic minority compatriots, leaving behind many beautiful stories."
On June 8, 2021, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, came to Goluozang Gongma Village, Shaliuhe Town, Gangcha County, Qinghai Province, and described the relationship between the Red Army and ethnic minorities on the Long March.
During the Long March, the Red Army passed through more than ten ethnic minority areas inhabited or mixed areas, including the Miao, Yao, Zhuang, Dong, and Tujia, accounting for more than 50% of the areas the Red Army passed through during the Long March. Many stories of unity, friendship, and mutual help with various ethnic minorities were left behind along the way.
Mao Zedong and the Hui imam Ma Dehai held "night talks at Shanjiaji" to explain the party's ethnic policies and anti-Japanese propositions; Liu Bocheng formed a blood alliance with Xiaoye Dan, the head of the Guoji family branch of the Yi ethnic group, and passed down the story of "Yihai alliance"; the Tibetan people in Banma, Qinghai raised supplies for the Red Army troops and guided the mountain roads, leaving the "Red Army ditch" to engrave the deep feelings of the military and the people...
During the Long March, the Red Army strictly implemented the Party's ethnic policies, respected the customs and religious beliefs of ethnic minorities, and sincerely served the people of all ethnic groups, laying the foundation for the victory of the Long March. At the same time, the Long March enabled the Communist Party of China to greatly deepen its understanding of the basic national conditions of ethnic issues and laid a theoretical and practical foundation for the formulation and implementation of principles and policies that promote ethnic unity.
As time goes by, the original intention of national unity condensed on the Long March has been passed down from generation to generation.
The new journey is a new long march. “Letting the people live a better life” has always been the yardstick by which Chinese Communists measure development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups have been greatly improved, from the snowy plateau to the grasslands beyond the Great Wall, from the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains to the southwestern frontiers, and the depth and breadth of exchanges and exchanges have been unprecedented. The new generation of ethnic minority youth continue to follow the spirit of the Long March and write new chapters at the grassroots level such as rural revitalization, technological innovation, social services, and border defense, contributing their youthful strength to promoting national unity and progress.
In March this year, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress passed the National Unity and Progress Promotion Law by a unanimous vote, and Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to announce it. Since the law was officially implemented on July 1, various localities have closely adhered to the main line of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and launched pragmatic measures based on local conditions to further transform legal advantages into governance effectiveness.
Top-level design and legal protection provide solid support for the development of national unity and progress. The seeds of ethnic unity sown on the Long March bore fruit, witnessing the development of ethnic areas and becoming a vivid reflection of the Communists' original aspirations for the people.
Xi Jinping once pointed out: "From a national perspective, the most arduous task of promoting common prosperity for all people lies in some border ethnic areas. These border ethnic areas must not fall behind on the road to common prosperity." Over the years, from Banyan Village in Qinghai Huzhu Tu Autonomous County to Simola Wa Village in Tengchong, Yunnan, from Linzhi Gala Village in Tibet to Zhaoxing Dong Village in Liping, Guizhou... He walked into ethnic villages one after another, sitting in the homes of villagers to do household chores and seek development.
Today, ethnic minority areas continue to promote rural revitalization, focus on characteristic industries, make up for shortcomings in people's livelihood, and make steady progress towards the common prosperity of all ethnic groups. The rapid transformation of many villages has written a footnote of the times for the common prosperity of all ethnic groups and the strengthening of the sense of community of the Chinese nation.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, looking back at the past, we can see that the real and tangible moments of people's livelihood in ethnic minority areas now reflect the past events of ethnic unity during the Long March. Over the past 90 years, this unity and integration have continued and maintained great vitality.
