National Day Event Preview③ | “The Backbone of the Arduous Journey: Heroic Soldiers of the Long March” – A Traveling Exhibition

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Date: October 1–31, 2026

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Location: Yu Ming Tang Front Square

From October 1934 to October 1936, the main forces of the Chinese Communist Party‑led Central Red Army (First Front Army), the Twenty-Fifth Red Army, the Fourth Front Army, and the Second and Sixth Corps (later reorganized as the Second Front Army) successively departed their original revolutionary base areas to carry out a strategic relocation, in order to defeat the Kuomintang army’s military “encirclement and suppression” campaigns, preserve their fighting strength, and advance north to resist Japan. After an arduous and extraordinary march spanning twenty-five thousand li, they traversed more than ten provinces, forded raging torrents, scaled snow‑capped mountains, crossed vast grasslands, broke through layer upon layer of blockades, and repelled the encirclement and pursuit of over a million enemy troops. Ultimately, they marched victoriously into the Shaanxi–Gansu–Ningxia region, where the main Red Army forces converged, establishing the Shaanxi–Gansu–Ningxia base area as their headquarters and launching point, thus ushering in a new stage of the Chinese revolution. Historically, this great feat of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army is known as the Long March.

Along the Long March, countless heroic sons and daughters stepped forward, dedicating their lives to their mission and forging loyal spirits with their fervent blood. In the face of utter despair, they blazed a trail to survival; amid suffering, they forged glory, thereby embodying the indomitable ideals and convictions of the Chinese Communists, their heroic spirit unafraid of sacrifice, and the invincible fighting spirit of the People’s Army.

War and turmoil forged heroes, and their spirit endures unbroken. As 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March’s victory, this exhibition traces the legacy of the heroic soldiers who marched along that epic route, revisiting those fiery years and paying tribute to the revolutionary martyrs. It seeks to ensure that the spirit of the Long March transcends time, remaining ever vibrant, and to inspire future generations to stay true to their original aspirations, keep their mission firmly in mind, and carry forward the struggle with courage and determination on the new journey ahead.