Long March Diary

Author: Chen Hu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: A Shocking Military Epic That shook the World in the 20th Century, a True Record of the Red Army's 369-Day Long March. Since the dawn of creation, from the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns to the present day, has history ever witnessed a march like ours? For twelve months, under the sky, dozens of planes conducted daily reconnaissance and bombing; on the ground, hundreds of thousands of troops pursued and blocked us. We faced countless hardships and dangers on the road, yet we mobilized the two legs of every person, advanced over more than 20,000 li, and traversed eleven provinces. Have such a Long March ever occurred in history? Never, never. – Mao Zedong
The world-famous "Long March" that took place in the mid-1930s should, in precise terms, refer to the large-scale strategic relocation carried out by the four main Red Army units—the First, Second, Fourth Red Armies, and the Twenty-fifth Army—under the leadership of the Communist Party of China from October 1934 to October 1936. Generally, literary works depict the experiences and routes of the Central Red Army (the First Red Army) and foreigners during that time. This story spans from October 1934 to October 1935, with the starting point being the Central Soviet Region of Jiangxi in those years and the endpoint being Wuqi Town in Shaanxi. It lasted for a total of 369 days. Therefore, this Long March Diary is composed of real stories that occurred each day during these 369 days. The historical materials for this "Long March Diary" come from all corners—drawing not only from the memoirs of numerous eyewitnesses but also from daily documents, telegrams, and newspapers from both the Communist and Kuomintang sides at the time, especially from the personal diaries of those who personally participated in the Long March. Thus, it will authentically recreate the stories of every day during the Long March 70 years ago. "This is how the Long March was walked." This is what we want to tell everyone.