Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to carry forward the great Long March spirit and make new achievements on the new journey ahead.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering in Beijing on Thursday commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March.
From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army marched through more than 10 provinces during the Long March, opening up a new chapter in the Chinese revolution, Xi said in an important speech at the event.
"I hereby, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and on behalf of the whole Party, the entire military, and Chinese people of all ethnic groups, would like to pay high tribute to Comrades Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other veteran revolutionaries who led the Red Army in accomplishing this historic feat, to the Red Army officers and soldiers who fought bloody battles during the Long March and who persisted in revolutionary struggles in various places, to the people of all ethnic groups who supported the Red Army during the Long March back then, especially those in the revolutionary base areas, and to all surviving Red Army veterans!" Xi said.
Ten years ago, at a gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, Xi described the Long March as an "epic, human miracle."
"As a great feat in human history, the Long March has left us with a rich heritage. However, its most valuable gem was the spirit of the Long March, which was forged with the lives and blood of Chinese Communists and Red Army soldiers. The spirit of the Long March was about putting the fundamental interests of the Chinese people and nation above all else, about upholding firm revolutionary ideals and beliefs, and about the belief that a just cause would surely succeed. It was about a willingness to sacrifice everything to save the country and people, no matter what difficulties and obstacles lay ahead. It was about remaining committed to independence and autonomy, to seeking truth from fact, and to proceeding from reality in all endeavors. It was about seeing the bigger picture, maintaining strict discipline, and uniting closely. And it was about relying closely on the people, sharing the same fate with the people, and fighting bitterly alongside the people," Xi said.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xi has repeatedly visited revolutionary sites along the Long March route, stressing the importance of preserving the revolutionary legacy and carrying forward the Long March spirit.
In June 2015 during an inspection tour of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Xi visited a martyrs' cemetery and the venue of the 1935 Zunyi Conference where Mao Zedong established his authority within the military.
Xi called the conference "a watershed even in the history of the CPC". The conference showed the path China should take, which was to adapt the principles of Marxism principles to China's reality, and to be independent and self-reliant, he said.
During his visit to Zunyi, Xi also visited a Red Army graveyard.
In July 2016, during an inspection tour in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xi visited Jiangtaipu in Xiji County, Guyuan City, the memorial site commemorating the joining of Red Army forces in the Long March. He laid a wreath at the monument, and called for carrying forward the spirit of old revolutionaries. In May 2019, Xi paid tribute to and laid a flower basket at the monument marking the departure of the Long March in Yudu County of Ganzhou City, east China's Jiangxi Province. He then visited the starting point of the Long March by the Central Red Army in the county.
Three months later, at a revolutionary memorial site in Gaotai County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Xi hailed the Red Army's heroism and its spirit of dedication to the Party and the people, describing these as traditions of the CPC that must be carried forward.
In September 2020 during a tour in central China's Hunan Province, Xi visited a revolution-themed exhibition hall at the village of Shazhou to learn about Party building at the primary level, local tourism, and education programs promoting revolutionary traditions.
The exhibition chronicles the story of an impoverished villager named Xu Jiexiu, who offered shelter to three female Red Army soldiers during the Long March in the 1930s. Before their departure, the soldiers cut their only quilt into two pieces, leaving one part with Xu to show their care.
During the visit, Xi required strengthened confidence in the socialist path, urging CPC members to deliver on the Party's commitments and promises and stand together with the people on the Long March of the new era.
In April 2021, Xi visited a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, and laid a flower basket in homage to Red Army soldiers who died in the battle. The park is located in Caiwan, a town in Quanzhou County, Guilin City.
Describing the battle as a life-or-death event in China's revolution history, Xi stressed the importance of CPC members staying true to their ideals and convictions.
At Thursday's gathering, Xi said the road of the Long March continues to extend, calling on the whole country to be committed to realizing the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
To forge ahead on the new Long March, Xi said, it is imperative to stay committed to the Party's ideals, convictions and purpose and rely closely on the people to create new achievements.
He underscored the need to unswervingly advance high-quality development and promote common prosperity for all.
Efforts must be made to better ensure both development and security and seize the historical initiative to overcome difficulties, combat risks and meet challenges, he stressed.
Xi also emphasized the importance of moving more quickly to reinforce the people's armed forces to world-class standards and adhering to the Party's absolute leadership over the military.
It is also vital to uphold the leadership of the Party, strengthen Party building and persevere with full and rigorous Party self-governance, he added.
"Only by remembering history can we create a brighter future. The whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups should rally more closely around the Party Central Committee, vigorously carry forward the great Long March spirit, and forge ahead with sustained efforts to continuously advance the great cause pioneered by revolutionary forerunners and make new achievements on the new Long March," he said.
Xi calls for carrying forward Long March spirit on new journey
Xi calls for carrying forward Long March spirit on new journey
