Retracing the Long March, Reborn in Data: Guizhou’s Computing Power Turns Revolutionary History into Living Stories

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March victory, the second thematic reporting trip of the "Retracing the Long March" series in Guizhou and Yunnan, organized by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Media Alliance, was officially launched on July 19 in Guiyang, Guizhou Province.

A banner reads: "Guizhou's responsibility in Building a digital China." Photo by Bastille Post

The All-China Journalists Association and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Media Alliance jointly organize the event. More than 30 journalists from the Greater Bay Area, Guizhou, and Yunnan will visit key historical sites along the Central Red Army's Long March route through Guizhou and Yunnan from July 19 to 25. 

As a crucial strategic hub on the Central Red Army's Long March route, Guizhou played a pivotal role: it hosted the Zunyi Conference, a historic turning point in the Red Army's history, and witnessed legendary battles such as the Four Crossings of the Chishui River and the Crossing of the Jinsha River, all of which took place on its soil. It was here that the Red Army achieved its strategic turnaround and broke through enemy encirclement.

As a crucial strategic hub on the Central Red Army's Long March route, Guizhou played a pivotal role. Photo by Bastille Post

Today, Guizhou has leveraged its cool climate, abundant energy resources, and the "East Data, West Computing" Project to become a key node in China's national computing network. Take the domestic animated blockbuster Ne Zha as an example: over 40% of its visual effects rendering was powered by the Gui'an New Area Supercomputing Center. To date, Gui'an has provided high-performance computing services for more than 150 film and television productions, including The Wandering Earth 2 and The Battle at Lake Changjin, injecting sustained momentum into the digital transformation of various industries.

In the new era, the spirit of the Long March is being "brought to life" by technology. Photo by Bastille Post

In the new era, the spirit of the Long March is being "brought to life" by technology. The Guizhou Long March Cultural Digital Art Museum (Red Ribbon) provides an immersive journey across time and space for visitors. The museum uses cutting-edge technologies, such as AI virtual interaction, holographic imaging, virtual reality, and 3D sound fields, to recreate pivotal scenes, including the Zunyi Conference and the Liping Conference, as well as digitally reconstruct major battles, such as the Battle of Loushan Pass and the Battle of Zunyi.

The digitally recreated Zunyi Conference, Photo by Bastille Post

The digitally reconstructed major battles, Photo by Bastille Post

On the screens, Red Army soldiers come to life before visitors' eyes, their voices and stories of sacrifice resonating through the space, as though history itself is unfolding in real time. In a simulated snow‑covered setting, visitors walk slowly alongside their Red Army "comrades": With every step, they tread upon the snow of the past, which is an immersive encounter with the hardships of the Long March, and a quiet invitation to reflect on how its spirit continues to inspire the present.

Actors recreated the Red Army soldiers crossing snow‑covered mountains in straw sandals, a testament to the extreme material shortages they endured during the Long March. Photo by Bastille Post

A young visitor surnamed Xu said that China today is a wonderful place, so he wanted to revisit the glorious years of the Red Army. He believes the Red Army soldiers were very brave, and he learned from them not to give up after a single setback. Xu's mother added that "The Great Journey", a key immersive experience at the Red Ribbon museum, is unlike anything found in a typical exhibition hall.

The young visitor surnamed Xu, Photo by Bastille Post

Xu's mother, Photo by Bastille Post

The Red Ribbon Museum is divided into two main experiences: "The Great Journey" and "Fly Over Guizhou." "The Great Journey" comprises six chapters: Nameless Heroes, Baptism of Blood and Fire, Great Turn, Forging Ahead on the Journey, Monument of Victory, and New Era, New Long March. "Fly Over Guizhou" is the province's first 8K cinematic-grade flying theater, equipped with multi-degree-of-freedom suspended dynamic seats that give visitors the sensation of soaring over Guizhou's magnificent mountains and rivers.

An actor, holding high the Red Army flag, leads visitors into "The Great Journey." Photo by Bastille Post

"Fly Over Guizhou" is the province's first 8K cinematic-grade flying theater, equipped with multi-degree-of-freedom suspended dynamic seats that give visitors the sensation of soaring over Guizhou's magnificent mountains and rivers. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The museum is managed by Guizhou Cultural Tourism Technology Co., Ltd. Mr. Liu Qiyang, the company's deputy general manager, said that since its trial operation in 2023, it has hosted over 24,000 performances. He added that during the summer vacation, many student groups have come to visit.

Mr. Liu Qiyang, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr Liu noted that the Red Ribbon Museum breaks away from traditional exhibition methods that rely primarily on text, images, and video. Taking the "Fly Over Guizhou" project as an example, he explained that each frame, rendered at 60 frames per second, requires substantial computing power for modelling and rendering. "Modelling just one frame takes 16 hours," he said. He acknowledged that the museum's smooth operation was made possible by Guizhou's local big-data advantages; without it, the museum, whose operator, Guizhou Cultural Tourism Technology Co., Ltd., was established in 2021, would have struggled to launch trial operations by 2023.

The innovative "technology + red culture" experience is drawing a growing number of young people to actively engage with the history of the Long March. Photo by Bastille Post

He also noted that this innovative "technology + red culture" experience is drawing a growing number of young people to actively engage with the history of the Long March.

On July 21, the media delegation from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area continued the "Retracing the Long March" reporting trip through Zunyi, arriving in Maotai Town and Tucheng Town to trace the historic route of the Red Army's legendary "Four Crossings of the Chishui River" and experience the deep-rooted wine culture along its banks.

Tucheng Town, Photo by Bastille Post

The first crossing of the Chishui was born out of the Red Army's setback at the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng. Having originally planned to cross the Yangtze River northward, the Red Army encountered fierce resistance from the Sichuan forces at Qinggangpo. To avoid encirclement, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission decisively abandoned the northward plan and instead moved westward across the Chishui. With help from local residents who contributed doors and planks, the Red Army built pontoon bridges overnight at locations including Tucheng and Yuanhou, marking the beginning of the Four Crossings.

The memorial site of the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng, Photo by Bastille Post

The memorial site of the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng, Photo by Bastille Post

The message appealing for peace at the memorial site, Photo by Bastille Post

Lin Chengying, daughter-in-law of veteran Red Army soldier He Mulin, recalled that after He Mulin was wounded at Qinggangpo, he remained in Tucheng Town. But because his Jiangxi accent made him immediately recognisable, he was forced to pretend to be deaf and mute for 14 years to protect the villagers who had sheltered him.

Lin Chengying, Photo by Bastille Post

She said He Mulin only began speaking again after the founding of the People's Republic of China. But after years of silence, his vocal cords had weakened, making fluent speech difficult. He then practised by the Chishui River for four years, like a child learning to speak, until he gradually regained his speech ability. In the years that followed, he devoted himself to spreading the Long March spirit at the Qinggangpo battlefield site and the Chishui ferry crossing.

The portrait of He Mulin, Photo by Bastille Post

Under his influence, Lin Chengying not only committed to memorizing the Red Army stories he told, but also learned to sing Red Army songs. After He Mulin's passing in 1979, she made it her daily schedule to open her door and share those stories with passing tourists.

The film Crossing, produced to mark the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory, was shot on location in Tucheng Town, drawing visitors to its ancient red walls, black-tiled roofs and old streets. Whenever tourists paused, Lin Chengying would "set aside whatever she's doing and start telling stories," determined that the legacy of the Red Army should endure on this soil.

The film "Crossing," produced to mark the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory, was shot on location in Tucheng Town. Photo by Bastille Post

That same day, the media delegation also visited Moutai Town, tracing the Red Army's three crossings of the Chishui. While the first crossing was a reluctant move forced by circumstances, the other three actions were deliberate strategic manoeuvres. At the time, the Red Army was encircled by hundreds of thousands of troops in Zunyi, with no hope of breaking through directly. So they made a show of crossing the river at Moutai Town, feigning a northward march to Sichuan, drawing the main enemy force away, and exploiting the weakened defences of Guizhou to cross the Chishui for a fourth time, successfully breaking the encirclement.

The newly built Red Army Bridge at the river, Photo by Bastille Post

Before stepping into the Moutai Chinese Liquor Culture City, the air was thick with the aroma of Moutai. The garden-style exhibition hall, with sections representing the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties and the modern era, traces the development of China's wine industry over millennia and reveals a little-known story linking Moutai with the Red Army.

The Moutai Chinese Liquor Culture City, Photo by Bastille Post

During the Long March, the Red Army was short of medical supplies. Many soldiers suffered from foot ulcers and infected wounds. The sauce-aroma baijiu produced in Maotai Town, with its high alcohol content and strong antibacterial properties, was temporarily requisitioned for disinfection. Soldiers used cloth soaked in the liquor to clean wounds or rub swollen feet to relieve fatigue. Leaders including Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao later recalled on many occasions that Moutai "made a great contribution" during the Long March.

The Moutai cartoon mascot, Photo by Bastille Post

Leaving the exhibition hall, the delegation arrived at the Maotai Ferry, walked onto the Red Army Bridge, and gazed down at the flowing Chishui River, gaining a deeper appreciation of the immense challenge posed by the "Four Crossings." Just as Moutai undergoes nine distillations, eight fermentations and seven extractions, taking more than five years to reach maturity, the Long March, too, was a journey of endurance and resilience, step by step over time.

Photo by Bastille Post