The long river of history is endless, and countless deeds have been lost in the torrent of time. After ninety years of ups and downs, the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the "red ribbon" on the earth, remains as bright as ever, stirring up deep and long-lasting spiritual echoes in our hearts.
In the late autumn of 1936, the new wind swept across the Loess Plateau. After a long and arduous journey, the First Red Army and the Fourth Red Army joined forces in Huining, and the First Red Army and the Second Red Army joined forces at Jiangtaibao, achieving the union of the three main Red Army forces. During the long journey, the Red Army soldiers used their faith as a torch and their flesh and blood as a shield to repel millions of vicious pursuers. They conquered icebergs and snowy ridges with thin air, crossed uninhabited swamps and grasslands, stood up in desperate situations, and broke through difficulties. The Long March was one of the most important events in the 20th century that most affected the future of the world. It was a strategic shift for the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army to shoulder the national hope and go north to fight against Japan. It achieved a great turning point for the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese revolutionary cause from setbacks to victory. It had a profound impact on the historical process of the Chinese nation.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the meeting commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March: "Compared with the Red Army's Long March of that year, and compared with the new Long March we have taken since the reform and opening up, although there are some differences or even big differences in environment, conditions, tasks, strength, etc., they are both pioneering, arduous and complex undertakings." This important conclusion connects history and reality and fully demonstrates the contemporary value of the great Long March spirit.
Ninety years have turned everything upside down. The difficult times of the past when mountains and rivers were shattered and lives were in ruins are long gone. We carry forward the spirit of historical initiative, strengthen confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture, and comprehensively promote the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. Risks and tests exist for a long time, and the struggle never stops. Looking back at the Long March, understanding the Long March, and paying tribute to the Long March, we can truly understand the power of faith, leadership, people, and struggle that was forged in the smoke and inspired by the journey. We must keep our finger on the right direction in the changing winds and clouds, bravely open a new chapter in overcoming obstacles, and be determined to walk the Long March path that belongs to our generation.
"I have gone on an expedition. There is no predicting when I will return home. I hope that my wife will go to the high hall, care for the children, and fulfill her filial piety and responsibility for me. I have determined to revolution, but now that the revolution has not yet succeeded, I will continue to do it. If the revolution does not succeed, I will not go home. I will see you when it succeeds."
In the Central Red Army Long March Departure Memorial Hall on the banks of the Du River, a letter from home is quietly displayed. The person who left these words was Li Jun, a native of Yudu. In October 1934, the main force of the Central Red Army was assembled here, and then crossed the river and embarked on a long journey. At the time of parting, Li Jun, the commander of the Third Red Army Corps, had no time to go back to his hometown to say goodbye to his relatives in person, so he could only ask someone to deliver the letter to his wife Zhong Huaying. In the battle of Qinggangpo in January 1935, Li Jun died heroically while leading his troops to cover the main force's breakout.
The road ahead is long, where is the end? The young commander Xiao Feng recorded the confusion of the soldiers in his diary, and he could only encourage everyone: "Our two legs belong to the revolution. We will go wherever our superiors tell us to go!" Even if the dawn of revolution cannot be seen for a while, his belief in rescuing the toiling workers and peasants and seeking liberation has never changed. During the march, Tong Xiaopeng, secretary of the Political Security Bureau of the Red Army, wrote this sentiment: "Revolution is a long-term struggle and a bloody process. Victory is the result of hard work and a difficult overall achievement... Use the hard-working spirit of these six months to defeat it and strive for the great light of complete victory!"
In 1936, Edgar Snow walked into the northwest revolutionary base area and visited the Red Army soldiers who had experienced the Long March. He recorded his observations in the book "Red Star Shines on China": "Adventure, exploration, discovery, courage and cowardice, victory and ecstasy, hardships, heroic sacrifice, loyalty, the enduring enthusiasm, consistent hope, and astonishing revolutionary optimism of these thousands of young people are like a raging flame running through them all. They will never admit defeat whether in front of human power, in front of nature, in front of God, or in the face of death." An ordinary Red Army soldier expressed his innermost belief like this: "Everyone here is the same, unlike in the white areas, where the poor are slaves of the landlords and the Kuomintang. Here everyone fights to help the poor and save China. The Red Army fights the landlords and white bandits, and the Red Army is anti-Japanese."
The victory of the Long March was ultimately the victory of ideals and beliefs. With an unswerving and unrepentant revolutionary spirit, the Red Army completed its great expedition to create a new situation. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated: "The Long March solemnly declared to the whole of China and the world that the Chinese Communist Party and the people's army led by it are armed with Marxism and take communism as its lofty ideal and firm belief. The suffering, twists and turns, and death on the Long March tested the ideals and beliefs of the Chinese Communists and proved to the world that the ideals and beliefs of the Chinese Communists are indestructible."
Once the torch of faith is lit, it will never be extinguished. From being a mainstay when the nation was in danger, to overcoming hardships and ushering in the liberation of mountains and rivers; from changing the world and building a socialist country, to bravely taking the lead in reform and opening up and forging ahead with determination, to achieving great leaps in self-confidence and self-reliance in the new era, Communists act bravely with their original aspirations.
The conditions of the times have undergone profound changes. Today, there are fewer life and death tests of blood and fire like the war years, but the great struggle with many new historical characteristics still continues. Facing a series of arduous tests of major challenges, major risks, major resistance, and major contradictions, we need to keep a clear head at all times and further temper our perseverance and tenacity to overcome difficulties.
"It is not easy to be prepared for danger in times of peace and maintain the spirit of hard work and hard work in the early days of entrepreneurship when you are successful. It is not easy to be frugal and restrained and respectful to the end after taking power. It is not easy to govern officials strictly and prevent corruption and avoid extravagance in peacetime. It is not easy to follow the trend and conform to the people's will at the juncture of major changes." General Secretary Xi Jinping's sincere warning, based on the historical mirror of the rise and fall of political power, profoundly reveals the practical test that our party must face in long-term governance. Without firm ideals and beliefs, we will lose our way in the complex environment of flying clouds, retreat and escape under the tremendous pressure of Mount Tai, and surrender under the successive bombardments of sugar-coated cannonballs.
Chinese-style modernization is an unprecedented pioneering undertaking. It embodies the pursuit of a powerful nation by countless people with lofty ideals in modern times, entrusts the dream of rejuvenation that all Chinese people cherish, and creates a new form of human civilization. The greater the undertaking, the more it is full of difficulties and obstacles, the more hard work it requires, and the more it requires pioneering and innovation. If you have faith in your heart, you will have strength under your feet. Once the spiritual pillar is shaken and the determination in the heart cannot be maintained, the steps forward will be hesitant and hesitant. Forging firm ideals and beliefs is an eternal task that cannot be relaxed even for a moment.
"In a sense, this large-scale transfer is the largest armed propaganda tour in history." Edgar Snow had early insight into the far-reaching significance of the Long March, and predicted that the "shining red star" of the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Revolution led by it would not only shine in northwest China, but will surely shine on the whole of China.
In 1984, 76-year-old Harrison Salisbury embarked on a journey to "re-walk the Long March." After more than 70 arduous days of in-depth search, the American reporter wrote: "The Long March is an epic. This is not only because of the heroic spirit embodied by the simple soldiers and their commanders." In the eyes of Harrison Salisbury, the Long March, the "crucible of the Chinese revolution," forged an entire generation and connected the struggle to create a new China.
The magnificent epic contains the core key to choosing the way forward. The Long March was not only a military breakthrough to seek survival, but also an ideological breakthrough to calibrate the course. Our party has overcome the erroneous ideological obstacle of treating Marxism as an unchanging dogma, and has found the correct path of the Chinese revolution and the correct theory that guides this path.
The ideological breakthrough of calibrating the course is essentially a persevering search for the truth. The Long March was a great expedition to test the truth. The bloody lessons and tests of struggle have made our party soberly aware that only by integrating the basic principles of Marxism with the specific realities of the Chinese revolution and independently solving the major issues of the Chinese revolution can the revolutionary cause be led to victory. The truth can only be tested in practice, and the correct line can only be established in practice. At major junctures concerning the future of the revolution, our party has used extraordinary courage to distinguish the right and wrong of the line, clarify the fog of thinking, and become stronger in the practice of struggle.
Every leadership group must have a core. A leadership group without a core is unreliable. "The majority of cadres have seen that since the counter-five 'encirclement and suppression' campaigns, they have suffered repeated defeats and are now almost on the verge of despair. Compared with the situation before the four counter-campaigns of 'encirclement and suppression', the majority of cadres have gradually realized that this was caused by rejecting the correct line represented by Comrade Mao Zedong and implementing the wrong line. The mood of suspicion, dissatisfaction and active demand for a change of leadership has obviously grown in the army." "After the Zunyi Conference, our army changed its previous situation. It seems that I have suddenly gained a new life, twisting and turning, interspersing among the enemies, thinking that I am going east but then west, thinking that I am crossing the river north but fighting back from a long distance, taking the initiative and being active and controlling the enemy." Marshal Liu Bocheng's two paragraphs in the article "Reviewing the Long March" bring our thoughts back to those glorious and suffering years, and let us cast our eyes on the small building where the Party Central Committee held the Zunyi Conference. The Zunyi Conference in fact established Comrade Mao Zedong’s leadership position in the Party Central Committee and the Red Army, began to establish the leadership position of the Marxist correct line with Comrade Mao Zedong as the main representative in the Party Central Committee, and began to form the party’s first-generation central leadership group with Comrade Mao Zedong as the core. It opened a new stage for the party to independently solve practical problems in the Chinese revolution, and saved the party, the Red Army, and the Chinese revolution at the most critical moment. This was a life-or-death turning point in the party's history.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the face of a stormy international environment and the arduous and arduous tasks of domestic reform, development and stability, General Secretary Xi Jinping has led us in a great struggle with many new historical characteristics. In a series of major tests, he has won the heartfelt support of the entire Party, the entire army and the people of all ethnic groups in the country. He has become the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party in the face of popular expectations and deservedly so. To deeply understand the decisive significance of the "two establishments" and resolutely achieve the "two safeguards" is the inevitable conclusion to draw historical wisdom from the earth-shattering revolutionary feat of the Long March.
The arduous exploration of breaking through the shackles of "Left" dogmatism and finding a revolutionary way out during the Long March demonstrated our party's historical consciousness of promoting the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution. The leap of thought in the crisis eloquently proves that Marxism is not a rigid and unchanging dogma. Only by taking root in China and based on China's national conditions can Marxism radiate great vitality.
There is no end to practice, and there is no end to theoretical innovation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the main representative, insist on combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture, creating Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and realizing a new leap in adapting Marxism to China's times. Whether there is a strong leadership core and scientific theoretical guidance is a fundamental issue related to the future and destiny of the party and the country, and the success or failure of the cause of the party and the people. With a strong core at the helm and scientific theories as our core and soul, we can stand firm and continue to write more brilliant chapters of national rejuvenation.
Causeway Bay, the capital of Jiangxi Province. In October 1934, the First Red Army Corps gathered here to rest and recuperate. Knowing that the fellow villagers were going to the mountains outside the village to fetch water, the soldiers began to dig wells. The moment the well water gurgled out, the soldiers and civilians gathered around and cheered, as if they were one family. A well made the people in the Soviet area even more reluctant to leave this team that was about to go on an expedition.
There were frequent wars in old China, and the common people changed their minds when they heard about the troops. In addition, the Kuomintang spread rumors wantonly, and many people outside the Soviet area were suspicious of the Red Army. In December 1934, the Third Red Army Corps marched to Longsheng, Guangxi. Baimian Yao Village was silent, and all the villagers hid in the mountains. The Red Army found local Yao leaders and preached to them the Chinese Communist Party's ethnic equality policy overnight. When the villagers returned home, Qiu Wufu's Red Army team had set off again. "The Red Army will absolutely protect the Wei people" and "Continue to fight and find light again." The slogans on the Long Tongue Rock wall moved the Yao people. In the slogan, the word "猺", which previously had a discriminatory connotation, was rewritten by the Red Army as "傜", which means equal treatment.
The Red Army adheres to iron-clad mass discipline. The soldiers slept under the eaves at night, preferring to be exposed to the rain and cold rather than knocking on doors to disturb the masses. They themselves suffered from hunger and cold, but still distributed dry food and cotton clothes to the poor people. A secret telegram from the Kuomintang to frontline generals described the Red Army as follows: "They do not harass the people. If anyone eats radishes in the soil due to hunger, a copper dollar will be placed in the soil for each head taken." Even the opponents had to be impressed by the Red Army's strict discipline.
This is an army that China has never had in thousands of years. The Red Army pursues the vital interests of the working people, sympathizes with the sufferings of the people, treats people of all ethnic groups equally, and demonstrates its feelings for the people with every word and deed. The Long March was not only a strategic shift, but also an extensive social mobilization. It sounded the clarion call for the entire nation to awaken and rise, and sowed the fire of revolution in the hearts of the working people.
"In the past, we only knew that fate was destined to be miserable. The Red Army made us know that the suffering of the poor comes from the injustice of the world, and we can fight for our own way of survival!" The broad masses of the people have a profound understanding that the Communist Party of China is a party that seeks the interests of the people, the Red Army is the people's army and a true anti-Japanese force, and the Long March is a bright road that leads the people to stand up for liberation.
When the Red Army wins battles, the people are its backer. Not afraid of the intimidation and coercion of the reactionaries, the people fully supported and protected their own troops. He removed the door panels of his home to build a pontoon bridge for the troops crossing the river, scrimped on food and clothing to provide food for the march, and took care of the wounded soldiers at the risk of burning down the house or even destroying the family. Everywhere the Red Army went, they awakened the working people by preaching revolutionary ideas and carrying out mass work. Inspired by revolutionary ideals, people of all ethnic groups along the way broke free from the shackles of the oppression of the old system and joined the Red Army one after another. A history of the Red Army's Long March is a history of deep friendship between soldiers and civilians. The masses of the people helped the Red Army pass through the passes and inspired the revolutionary ranks to move forward. Our party has always been rooted in the people, contacted the people, publicized the people, armed the people, united the people, relied on the people, and won the sincere support and support of the people with its own exemplary actions. The broad masses of the people are the source of strength for the victory of the Long March.
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. The victory of the Anti-Japanese War was forged by the united will of the entire nation; the victory of the War of Liberation was won by the people's full support; the achievements in socialist construction were achieved by the people's hands; the magnificent picture of reform and opening up was created by the people with their fiery passion; the great achievements of the new era were pioneered by the people's wisdom and hard work. History has fully proved that the people will always be the fundamental support for our party to advance its great cause.
The question of who and whom we rely on is a touchstone to test the nature of a political party and a regime. People's nature is the essential attribute of Marxism. Born for the people, prospered by the people, always with the people, and fighting for the interests of the people, are the fundamental starting point and goal of our party in building, revitalizing, and strengthening the party.
The "red ribbon" of the Long March was dyed with the blood of countless Red Army soldiers. Overcoming numerous difficulties and dangers and conquering the limits of human survival, this team used their fearless and indomitable spirit to blaze a revolutionary road to new life and victory.
Xinwei is the chokepoint of the Central Red Army's left wing in trying to cross the Xiangjiang River. Once it falls, the entire army will be cut off in the middle. Facing an enemy several times stronger than itself, the Fifth Division of the Third Red Army defended the pass with their flesh and blood. The division chief of staff and regimental commanders also fell on the position one after another. After completing the blocking mission, the division was reduced to a regiment due to heavy casualties. Also in the Battle of Xiangjiang River, the 34th Division of the Fifth Red Army Corps, which was responsible for rearguard duties, was surrounded in Jiangdong. The few commanders and fighters who broke out gathered on the spot and moved into the mountains and forests to start an arduous guerrilla war with the enemy. Relying on this will to fight through fire and water, the Red Army fought its way through bloody roads and staged a majestic war drama in the world's military history.
In December 1934, the 25th Red Army that moved to southern Shaanxi was attacked in Yujiahe. Army Commander Cheng Zihua's hands were seriously injured and disabled, and Deputy Army Commander Xu Haidong was shot in the head and was in coma for several days. The severely damaged troops quickly reorganized their organization, took root in the high mountains, and opened up revolutionary base areas in Hubei, Henan, and Shaanxi while fighting. In July of the following year, the 25th Red Army marched north. During the arduous march, they continuously encountered the enemy. Military political commissar Wu Huanxian died heroically in the battle at Sipo Village, Jingchuan, Gansu. After going through many ups and downs, this unit became the first Red Army unit to complete the Long March and reach northern Shaanxi. Walking through the flames, the iron-clad revolutionaries broke into a new world with the power of swallowing up mountains and rivers.
"Why can the Chinese revolution succeed? The secret is that revolutionary ideals are higher than the sky. Only by persevering in the most difficult times can we continue to achieve miraculous victories. We should have such a belief in victory in achieving the next centenary goal and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. No matter how difficult the difficulty is, think of the Red Army's Long March and the bloody battle of the Xiangjiang River." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition was profound and dignified, which effectively explained the spiritual essence contained in the Long March and put forward clear requirements for Communists in the new era to forge a steely will.
The Long March tempered the people's army, tempered the people's army, made the people's army successful, and opened a new starting point for the development of the people's army. The bloody spirit that burst out during the Long March has been sublimated into the distinctive spiritual symbol of the people's army.
Rising up to resist the insult, holding crude weapons in hand, charging against aircraft and cannons, building a new Great Wall of the Chinese nation with flesh and blood, and winning the first complete victory against foreign invasion in modern times. To carry out the revolution to the end, we would rather die one step forward than live half a step back. In the tough battles, there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome, no tasks that cannot be completed, and no enemies that cannot be defeated. They defended their homeland and country, stood firm against indiscriminate bombardment, rushed into the enemy group with explosive bags and blasting canisters in hand, endured hunger and cold and never flinched, and remained unmoved when the fire burned their bodies, displaying great military might in the battle for the founding of the country. Generations of revolutionary soldiers have relied on their heroic determination to face death, and have developed a great spirit that can overwhelm all enemies and never be surrendered by the enemy. On the way forward, the people's army must vigorously promote the spiritual quality of daring to fight and win, and maintain the high morale of revolutionary heroism at all times and under any circumstances.
The most precious spiritual wealth left to us by the Long March is the great Long March spirit forged with the lives and blood of the Chinese Communists and Red Army soldiers - putting the fundamental interests of the people and the Chinese nation above all else, firming up revolutionary ideals and beliefs, and firmly believing that the just cause will win. In order to save the country and the people, we are not afraid of any difficulties and obstacles and do not hesitate to make all sacrifices; we insist on independence, seek truth from facts, and proceed from reality in everything we do; we take the overall situation into consideration, strictly observe discipline, and work closely together; we rely closely on the people, depend on them for life and death, share weal and woe, and work hard.
This is a vivid reflection of the revolutionary demeanor of the Chinese Communists and the people's army led by them, a concentrated display of the Chinese nation's national character of constant self-improvement, and the highest expression of the national spirit with patriotism as its core. After ninety years of baptism, the red gene of the great Long March spirit has been deeply integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation.
The memory of the Long March that spans time and space is not only preserved in historical sites and written records. The spirit of the great Long March has deeply infiltrated into the spiritual home of the Chinese nation. With a strong historical consciousness, Chinese Communists in the new era use the Long March to reflect reality and contemplate the future, and draw the power of faith, leadership, people, and struggle from the rich accumulation of the Long March. The sincere responsibility, courage to win, mass concept, and perseverance tempered by the Long March are being integrated into the grand narrative of Chinese modernization and internalized in the vivid practice of state governance.
On the new journey to achieve the second centenary goal, there are still "snowy mountains" and "grasslands" that we need to cross, and "Loushanguan" and "Lazikou" that need to be conquered. The arduous journey of the Red Army soldiers has never been far away, and the towering monument created by the great expedition serves as a warning to those who come. The Long March is not only a manifesto, a propaganda team, and a seeder that shines brightly in history, but also a ballast stone for us to strengthen our ideals and beliefs, a fixing star for guarding the people's position, and a textbook for honing our struggle skills.
Every generation has its own Long March, and every generation must walk its own Long March. The Long March is always on the road.
