Long March memories

Photo exhibit of images from along the rout set to be unveiled

This year is the 80th anniversary of the end of the LongMarch. In October 1934, the Red Army started in East China’s Jiangxi province, a march that covered more than 12,000 kilometers through the country’s interior provinces. The march by Communist soldiers lasted two years. In October 1936, after escaping Kuomintang offensive; crossing the Jinsha River and the Dadu River; climbing snow-capped mountains; and walking across grasslands filled with swamps, the Red Army finally arrived in Yan’an, in Northwest China’ s Shaanxi province.

The end of the LongMarch marked a milestone for the Communist Party of China on its way to build a newcountry.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the LongMarch, China Daily, FAW Hongqi, Wink Impression (HK) Co Ltd and Henan Best-character Auto Group organized a trip for journalists and photographers from more than 10 mainstream media outlets to revisit the route of the LongMarch.

Photographers from People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, China Daily, China News Agency, Workers’ Daily, Legal Daily and Beijing News spent 13 days in some areas of the route taken by the Red Army.

The photographers attempted to capture the beauty of the country’s remote parts. In Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, they took photos that recorded people’s lives along the route after decades of development.

An album that contains 261 images by 142 photographers will be unveiled by China Daily on Friday.

PHOTO BY LIU YANG Dancers of the National Ballet of China rehearse at Pagoda Hill, Yan’an, Shaanxi province.

PHOTO BY HU JINXI Members of the Dong ethnic group wear traditional clothes in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province, as they sing during a performance.

PHOTO BY WANG WENLAN A girl stands in front of the site of the headquarters of a regiment of the No 25 Red Army in Hongya village, Longde county, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

PHOTO BY LI GE An artist produces engravings of the Red Army leaders in Ruijin, Jiangxi province.

PHOTO BY ZHAO QING A group of elderly singers after their performance in Zunyi, Guizhou province.

PHOTO BY YU WENGUO Schoolchildren at a museum in Zunyi, Guizhou province.

PHOTO BY ZHAO KANG A crowd at a motorcycle performance in Aba prefecture, Sichuan province.