[The Long March in the textbook]
Author: Che Zongkai (Assistant Professor, School of Marxism, Tsinghua University)
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90 years ago, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army successfully completed the Long March that shocked the world and made a mark in history. Over the past 90 years, the Communists’ indestructible ideals, beliefs and great spirit during the Long March have been inspiring generations of young people. The story of the Long March has been included in textbooks for different academic levels and subjects in universities, middle schools and primary schools; the great spirit of the Long March has been told and passed on in Chinese classes, history classes, ideological and political classes and other classes. This edition launches the column "Long March in Textbooks" starting today. Let's go into the Long March stories in textbooks. Starting from the chapters in textbooks, we will explore how the spirit of the great Long March can continuously provide growth nutrients for young people.
From October 1934 to October 1936, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army successfully completed the Long March that shocked the world and made a mark in history. Writer Wei Wei later used a very vivid metaphor to describe the Long March - "the red ribbon on the earth." Over the past 90 years, this "red ribbon" has not only proved to the world that the ideals and beliefs of the Chinese Communists are indestructible, but has also educated and led generations of people to walk their own Long March. This "red ribbon" also connects ideological and political classes at different stages of education in universities, middle schools and primary schools.
When talking about the Long March, we need to go to the front line and go to the scene to understand this great expedition. Last summer, I took my classmates to carry out practical teaching in Yuanling, Hunan. Here, we walked into the "Wang Family Courtyard" located in Baiyanjie Village, Yuanling Town - the former site of the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps' attack on Yuanling Headquarters. In November 1934, the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps launched the Xiangxi Offensive and attacked Yuanling County, creating favorable conditions for the strategic shift of the Central Red Army and the realization of channel transfer. Before that, many students actually had little idea of what channel transfer was and why they should "transfer". Walking to the scene and standing in front of the sand table and map, everyone truly felt that this expedition was a deliberate strategic decision. The "Long March" in the textbook was materialized at this moment.
When talking about the Long March, we should talk about the great turning point of the party and the revolutionary cause from setbacks to victory, and more importantly, how truth is tested and accepted in practice. "What special significance does the Long March have in the process of adapting Marxism to China?" I asked this question in class when talking about the chapter "New Democratic Revolution Theory" in the textbook "Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics". At first, many students had doubts on their faces. Why did the fifth counter-"encirclement and suppression" campaign fail? Why were there so many losses in the early days of the Long March? As these problems gradually unfolded, the students gradually realized that the Red Army faced not only ferocious and brutal pursuit of the enemy, a harsh and harsh natural environment, but also a fierce struggle against erroneous ideas and lines within the party on the Long March. This is not only a trek in the geographical sense, but also a tempering in the ideological sense. This is the significance of the Zunyi Conference held during the Long March.
When talking about the Long March, we need to talk about the transfer that spanned 25,000 miles, and we also need to talk about the great spirit behind it. The Long March is by no means a cold mileage, but a spiritual epic composed by the Chinese Communists. This spirit is not only reflected in the bravery and fearlessness of the Red Army in the bloody battle of the Xiangjiang River, the fourth crossing of Chishui, the skillful crossing of the Jinsha River, the forced crossing of the Dadu River, the flying capture of the Luding Bridge, the fierce battle in Dushu Town, the courage to conquer the throne, the battle in the Wumeng Mountain, the conquest of the icebergs and snow ridges, and the crossing of the swamps and grasslands, it is also reflected in a kind of revolutionary optimism and romantic spirit. The best way to understand this spirit is to read classic works. When talking about the textbook statement that "our party committed 'Left' dogmatist errors in the guidance of the revolutionary war, the direct result was that the Red Army was forced to carry out the Long March and the revolutionary cause suffered serious setbacks." In addition to talking about setbacks and hardships, I also talked with my classmates Together we reviewed Comrade Mao Zedong's famous poem "Qing Ping Le·Huichang" - "The east is about to dawn, so you will arrive early. People who travel through the green mountains are not old, and the scenery here is unique." Reading it, it seems that the poet who wrote this poem was excited and happy in his heart. However, in fact, when he wrote this poem, Comrade Mao Zedong was at a low point in his life. As he later said: "In 1934, the situation was critical, we were preparing for the Long March, and I was in a depressed mood." In the classroom, many students who were in the ups and downs stage in scientific research and learning found resonance. A classmate said after class: "In front of me are the 'Loushanguan' and 'Lazikou' on the highland of science and technology - chip architecture, operating system, engine blades, precision sensors... Every 'stuck' node is a fortress that must be conquered. I will not stand at the foot of the mountain and wait, nor will I wait until all the 'conditions are mature', but will increase my ability in tackling key problems."
90 years later, we are still embarking on a "new long march." When I came to the last part of the textbook, "Continuously Writing a New Chapter of Sinicizing Marxism in China", I mentioned the Long March again. Comrade Mao Zedong once said that winning nationwide victory is only the first step in a long march of thousands of miles. "The journey after the revolution will be longer, and the work will be greater and more arduous." At present, the new journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization is the continuation of this expedition. In the context of the Chinese Communists, the "Long March" is no longer just the "red ribbon" that spread across the land of China from 1934 to 1936, but also a spirit, a belief, and a force. In their final homework, some students wrote this: "Today, we no longer have to climb snow-capped mountains or cross grasslands, but the 'Long March' of our generation is not easy. Our Long March is to overcome the 'stuck neck' technology in the laboratory, to sweat on the front line of rural revitalization, and to Telling Chinese stories well on the international stage means doing every little thing well in ordinary positions. "One generation has a long march. This sentence is deeply engraved in the hearts of young people in the new era; the spirit of the great Long March still guides this generation of young people to forge ahead actively, be optimistic, overcome difficulties, and move forward in an indomitable way."
