Four Generations, One Devotion: Red Memory Endures along the Long March Trail in Zunyi

The media delegation from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, on a "Retracing the Long March" reporting trip through Guizhou and Yunnan, visited Zunyi, including the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall and the Zunyi 1935 Street. In this revolutionary heartland, they traced the historic turning point of the Long March and witnessed how the "City of Turning Point" weaves its revolutionary heritage into the fabric of everyday life.

The Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

The Zunyi Conference was a meeting held in January 1935 when the Red Army passed through Zunyi, Guizhou, during the Long March. The meeting corrected "leftist" errors in military command and established the correct leadership with Mao Zedong.

The Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

Following the conference, under Mao Zedong's guidance, the Red Army employed flexible, mobile warfare, securing a series of major victories, including the second crossing of the Chishui River, the recapture of Loushan Pass, and the reoccupation of Zunyi. These successive triumphs gradually enabled the Red Army to break free from enemy encirclement and complete its strategic shift.

The Loushan Pass, Photo by Bastille Post

The Loushan Pass, Photo by Bastille Post

At the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, faded photographs, wartime relics, and time‑worn manuscripts tell the stories of the legendary march. Visitors who linger over these exhibits can gain a vivid glimpse of the rugged terrain the Red Army once crossed, and sense the unwavering faith that carried them through.

The historical objects exhibited in the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

The historical objects exhibited in the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

Lei Guangren, former director of the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, noted that the memorial is not a single building but a complex of sites. "In addition to the conference site itself, the former site of the National Bank and the residences of Li De, Bo Gu, Mao Zedong, and others, as well as the previous working sites of Deng Xiaoping and other key General Political Department staff have all been preserved and displayed in their original state," he said. He added that the memorial hall now receives over 10,000 visitors a day, around four to five million annually, making it a flagship destination for red tourism.

Mr. Lei Guangren, Photo by Bastille Post

Kong Xia, a volunteer guide at the memorial, is the granddaughter of Kong Xianquan — the site's first curator and a Red Army veteran. Her grandfather joined the Red Army in 1930 and fought in the anti-encirclement campaigns.

Ms. Kong Xia, Photo by Bastille Post

During the Second Battle of Loushan Pass, her grandfather was hit by six machine gun bullets in his right hip, leaving twelve bullet holes. Since his right leg was ten centimeters shorter than his left after recovery, people called him "Crippled Kong" or "Lame Kong."

After being wounded, Kong Xianquan recuperated in Guizhou and in 1952 began planning the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall. Kong Xia said that Deng Xiaoping, during his inspection of Zunyi, remarked, "Kong Xianquan is the most suitable person to be the curator."

The crowds in the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

Although Kong Xia was not born in Zunyi, her life has been intimately intertwined with the city's revolutionary heritage. She recalls with a smile how her grandfather personally saw her father off to join the army, who later served in the Yunnan Air Force. She herself never expected to marry a soldier from the first peacekeeping unit of the General Staff Department, becoming a military wife. And her son, after graduating from Northeastern University, joined the PLA Rocket Force. Four generations of her family have carried forward the tradition of military service, spanning nearly a century.

Perhaps it is this revolutionary bloodline that gives her a special bond with Zunyi. She has lived near the memorial hall for fifty years, and for over thirty of those, she has served as a volunteer guide, telling visitors the stories of her grandfather and his Red Army comrades.

Kong Xia recalls that her grandfather rarely spoke of his own bravery, but would recount the Red Army's victories with great enthusiasm. Yet whenever he saw news of fallen comrades in the newspaper, he would sit on his bed for hours, pipe in hand, lost in thought, his eyes filled with grief. "What the elders feared was not the brutality of war," she said, "but the loss of their comrades, one by one."

The memorial hall now receives over 10,000 visitors a day, around four to five million annually, making it a flagship destination for red tourism. Photo by Bastille Post

Watching Zunyi transform from a small town with just two bus routes and a single bustling intersection into a modern city with hundreds of transport routes and numerous commercial zones, Kong Xia marvels at the changes: The city has grown; the buildings have risen. But Zunyi's spirit of "following the path of righteousness and striving constantly for self-improvement" together with its profound revolutionary spirit, remains unchanged.

Not far from the Zunyi Conference site lies the Zunyi 1935 Street, named after the year the conference took place. The street blends revolutionary culture with everyday life, featuring a revolutionary bookstore, intangible cultural heritage displays, and local northern Guizhou snacks. It connects the historic site with urban life, allowing visitors to step into the memory of those pivotal years, while strolling through the streets and savouring the local flavours.

The Zunyi 1935 Street, Photo by Bastille Post

The goods sold at the Zunyi 1935 Street, Photo by Bastille Post

The snacks sold at the Zunyi 1935 Street, Photo by Bastille Post

The revolutionary bookstore at the Zunyi 1935 Street, Photo by Bastille Post

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.