As China marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory, preservation efforts at the historic Battle of the Xiangjiang River sites in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are revitalizing revolutionary history and driving rural development.
The Long March, a historic military trek from 1934 to 1936, saw Red Army troops led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) brave raging rivers, snow-covered mountains and treacherous grasslands, marching as far as 12,500 kilometers. The arduous journey laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the Chinese revolution.
At the foot of a hill in Guilin of Guangxi stands a gravestone. For 82-year-old villager Jiang Shilin, coming here to sweep the tomb is something he has done for most of his life. The grave is the resting place of seven Red Army soldiers who died here in 1934. And Jiang is the third generation of his family to look after it.
"My grandfather was cutting firewood here with my father when they came across the bodies of Red Army soldiers. My father was only 12 at the time. He was frightened by what he saw and wanted to go home. But my grandfather said, 'They were just kids, 17 or 18 years old. If we don't bury them, we won't be able to live with ourselves.' So, they buried the soldiers right there and marked the graves with three small bricks," Jiang said.
From that day on, Jiang's family took it upon themselves to look after the grave, passing that responsibility from one generation to the next.
In late 1934, the Red Army was on the Long March. The journey soon brought tens of thousands of soldiers to the Xiangjiang River in northern Guangxi, where pursuing forces were closing in.
To protect the main force of the Red Army as it crossed the river, some units fought a series of fierce defensive battles. This became known as the Battle of the Xiangjiang River, regarded as the fiercest battle during the Long March and crucial to the survival of the Red Army.
The Red Army soldiers eventually crossed the Xiangjiang River after fighting for five days -- from Nov 27 to Dec 1, 1934, to break through the fourth blockade of the Kuomintang (KMT) troops. After the battle, the number of Red Army soldiers declined to around 30,000 from 86,000 when the Long March first began.
Today, memorial parks and museums stand at sites connected to the battle, giving locals and visitors places to remember those who died.
A memorial hall in Guilin not only preserves historical artifacts but also chronicles deeply moving stories of the profound bond between the Red Army and the local people.
"Once we received an elderly visitor who was a descendant of a Red Army soldier. He told us that his father had been seriously wounded here. The army gave him ten silver coins to pay for medical treatment. After getting treatment, he used the remaining money to catch up with his unit. He still had two coins left, which he treasured and kept with him. Later, in 1951, his father went to the front to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), leaving those two coins with his family. The elderly man eventually donated them to our memorial hall for display," said Zhou Yunliang, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Battle of Xiangjiang.
The dedication of the revolutionary martyrs continues to inspire the people of the old revolutionary base areas to strive for a better life. Leveraging this historical heritage, some villages have embraced new opportunities for growth. For instance, Maozhushan village in Guilin has turned its location into an opportunity for rural tourism and agricultural development.
"Red Army soldiers back then were not afraid of sacrifice or hardship. They laid the foundation for the good life we have today. Now, we make a living by growing grapes. Our incomes are rising, and our living environment is getting better. To me, this is what a truly happy life looks like," said Wang Deli, a villager.
Long March heritage lives on as Guangxi preserves battle sites, revitalizes villages
Long March heritage lives on as Guangxi preserves battle sites, revitalizes villages
