Carry Forward the Great Long March Spirit and Forge Ahead on the New Long March in the New Era

Carry Forward the Great Long March Spirit and Forge Ahead

on the New Long March in the New Era*

Theoretical Study Group of the Executive Council of

the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee

Ninety years have passed since the victory of the Long March!

Ninety years ago, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army braved death and danger, broke through repeated enemy pursuits and blockades, and ventured into some of the most inhospitable regions on Earth. With the ardor of patriots and the courage of heroes, the Red Army composed an epic of humanity of breathtaking grandeur and erected an unparalleled monument in history. The Long March shattered the enemy’s attempts to encircle, pursue, and blockade the Red Army, publicized the CPC’s political program, sowed the seeds of revolution, and brought light and hope to the people. It turned the tide of the Chinese revolution at a critical juncture and forged the great Long March Spirit.

History moves ever forward, and the Long March Spirit is passed down from generation to generation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “Every generation has its own Long March”; “The Long March is always ongoing”; and “No matter how far we advance or how much we achieve, we must continue to carry forward the great Long March Spirit and press ahead on the new Long March in the New Era.”

Uphold Firm Ideals and Convictions, Consistently Use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to Build Conviction and Forge the Soul, Draw Strength of Faith from the Great Long March Spirit, and Let the Light of Ideals Illuminate the New Journey

The victory of the Long March was a victory of lofty ideals and firm convictions.

The Long March occupies a unique place in the history of warfare because the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army was an army unlike any that had come before. The Long March was an arduous journey, fraught with obstacles and life-and-death trials. Supplies were desperately scarce, and the natural environment was exceptionally harsh, pushing physical endurance to its limits. Meanwhile, more than a million ruthless enemy troops pursued the Red Army or blocked its way, leaving it constantly on the brink of life and death. Yet even in these desperate circumstances, Red Army officers and soldiers firmly believed that resisting Japanese aggression and saving the nation, as well as liberating the workers and peasants, were their responsibilities. Their lofty ideals transcended concerns for their own lives, and their firm convictions guided them forward. It was these ideals and convictions that endowed the Red Army with formidable combat strength, enabling it to overcome countless hardships, push beyond the limits of human endurance, face death fearlessly, and advance undaunted. They also kept the ranks together and morale high, enabling the Red Army to break through enemy blockades and encirclement-and-suppression campaigns time and again and turn the tide of battle despite its unfavorable position.

An essential component of the great Long March Spirit is placing the fundamental interests of the people of the whole country and the Chinese nation above all else, remaining steadfast in revolutionary ideals and convictions, and firmly believing that a just cause is bound to triumph. The great victory of the Long March was a military victory and a triumph of will, but ultimately it was a victory of ideals and convictions. The CPC’s ideals and convictions are grounded in faith in Marxism, the lofty ideal of communism, and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. These constitute the spiritual pillars and political soul of CPC members and the intellectual foundation for maintaining the Party’s unity and solidarity. Once kindled, the flame of ideals and convictions will never be extinguished. A political party with lofty ideals and noble aspirations will be strong and powerful, invincible and unstoppable, and capable of rising to its feet time and again after setbacks.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and forge ahead on the new Long March in the New Era, we must remain firm in our ideals and convictions, consolidate their intellectual foundations, and consistently use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to build conviction and forge the soul. We must thoroughly study and apply the worldview and methodology of this thought, as well as the positions, viewpoints, and methods it embodies, and consciously turn the Party’s innovative theories into a powerful force for strengthening our ideals, tempering our Party spirit, guiding practice, and advancing our work. We must make our ideals and convictions a beacon in our hearts, embracing them with devotion and perseverance, unwavering faith, and profound commitment. Through concrete action, we must strive unremittingly to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and realize the lofty ideal of communism.

Foster a Spirit of Struggle and Strengthen Our Capacity for Struggle, Draw Strength to Press Forward from the Great Long March Spirit, and Advance on the New Journey through Tenacious Struggle

The victory of the Long March was a victory of the great spirit of struggle.

The long road of the Long March was drenched in the blood of revolutionary soldiers. Along the 25,000-li route of the First Front Army of the Red Army, an average of one Red Army soldier fell in sacrifice every 300 meters. This red streamer of the Long March was dyed red with the blood of countless Red Army soldiers. Yet, as the famous verse declares, “The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March; it takes the myriad rivers and mountains for nothing.” The bloody Battle of the Xiang River, the four crossings of the Chishui River, the ingenious crossing of the Jinsha River, the forcible crossing of the Dadu River, the daring seizure of the Luding Bridge, the fierce fighting at Dushu Town, the capture of Baozuo, and the campaigns across the Wumeng Mountains all demonstrated the Red Army’s heroic courage and revolutionary spirit: no enemy could overpower it, and no difficulty could defeat it.

At the Battle of the Xiang River, faced with encirclement by overwhelming enemy forces, Red Army soldiers fought their way through the enemy’s fourth blockade, staining the river with their blood. In the daring seizure of the Luding Bridge, heroic Red Army assault troops charged toward the opposite bank under a hail of enemy fire, opening the way north for the Central Red Army. As the troops crossed snow-covered mountains, biting winds and thin air claimed the lives of many lightly clad soldiers, who perished there. During the arduous crossing of the grasslands, swamps lay everywhere, and food and ammunition were in desperately short supply. Many soldiers sank into the mire and never emerged.

The Red Army units and guerrilla forces that remained in the revolutionary bases, the Red Army in northwest China, the Northeast United Resistance Army, Party organizations that continued their work in areas under Kuomintang rule, and other forces under the Party’s leadership all waged arduous struggles and made indelible contributions to the victory of the Long March. The Long March thus became an enduring monument to humanity’s unyielding courage and resolve, its legacy destined to be remembered for generations to come.

An essential component of the great Long March Spirit is the determination to overcome all difficulties and dangers and make every sacrifice necessary to save the nation and its people. Our Party was founded amid internal turmoil and external aggression, grew through trials and tribulations, and strengthened itself by overcoming formidable challenges. The courage to struggle is embedded in the Party’s political DNA and has been forged into a defining characteristic through a century of trials. A spirit of struggle and sacrifice is an essential quality of every qualified CPC member. Our Party has built a glorious history through struggle, and it must continue to rely on struggle to forge a brighter future.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and advance on the new Long March in the New Era, we must be prepared to wage the great struggle with many new historical features. In pursuit of the people’s wellbeing and national rejuvenation, we must never fear or retreat in the face of one “Loushan Pass” or “Lazikou” after another on the new Long March, no matter how powerful the enemy, how arduous the journey, or how formidable the challenges. We must foster the spirit of struggle, have the courage to overcome any fear and any evil and not to yield to pressure. We must press forward in the face of difficulties and rise to challenges head-on. We must strengthen our capacity for struggle, gain a keen understanding of the prevailing circumstances and underlying trends, accurately identify risks and opportunities, and firmly maintain the initiative. We must employ sound strategies, ensuring that our struggles are justified, advantageous, and conducted with restraint, and carefully weigh their timing, intensity, and effectiveness. We must stand firm on matters of principle while remaining flexible in our tactics, relying on tenacious struggle to continually open up new horizons for our cause.

Uphold the Party’s Ideological Line and Proceed from Reality in All Our Endeavors, Draw Strength for Action from the Great Long March Spirit, and Open Up New Horizons on the New Journey by Upholding Fundamental Principles and Breaking New Ground

The victory of the Long March was a victory of the great spirit of practical endeavor.

The Long March was a journey on which choosing the right path was a matter of life and death for the Party and the revolution. In its early stages, the Red Army suffered repeated losses under the erroneous leadership of “Left” dogmatism. These painful lessons prompted the Party and the Red Army to reflect deeply on the dangers of dogmatism and gradually recognize that “the universal truths of Marxism-Leninism must be upheld, but they must be integrated with the actual conditions of the Chinese revolution.” Through a series of meetings, including those in Tongdao, Liping, and Houchang, the Party ultimately ended the dominance of “Left” dogmatism in the Central Committee at the Zunyi Meeting. This ushered in a new stage in which the Party independently addressed the practical problems of the Chinese revolution, saving the Party, the Red Army, and the Chinese revolution at a moment of extreme peril.

Liu Bocheng, then Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, recalled: “When the spirit of the Zunyi Meeting was conveyed to the troops, the entire army was invigorated. It was as if the dense fog had lifted and sunlight had appeared, sweeping away all doubts and discontent”; “After the Zunyi Meeting, our army was transformed. It seemed to have suddenly gained a new lease on life.” Thereafter, through arduous practical exploration, the Party successfully linked the struggle for survival with the effort to save the nation from peril, and aligned the overall direction of the Long March with the establishment of forward bases for resistance against Japanese aggression. This laid a solid foundation for victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and, subsequently, in the new-democratic revolution. By the end of the Long March, the Party and the Red Army had emerged stronger, not weaker. As Mao Zedong pointed out, “The Long March of thousands of miles educated us”; “Having suffered such major setbacks and endured such great hardships, we were tempered and gained experience, corrected the erroneous line, and restored the correct line.”

An essential component of the great Long March Spirit is upholding independence and self-reliance, seeking truth from facts, and proceeding from reality in all endeavors. Following our own path is the foundation of all the Party’s theory and practice and a historical conclusion drawn from its century of struggle. Proceeding from China’s actual conditions, the Party explored and developed a path of the new-democratic revolution, a path of socialist transformation and development, and a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, all suited to China’s realities. The great spirit of practical endeavor in the face of adversity, the creative spirit of emerging stronger from trials by fire, the spirit of independent exploration, and the unwavering resolve to follow our own path are key to understanding how the Party has repeatedly learned from setbacks and moved from one victory to another.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and advance on the new Long March in the New Era, we must uphold the Party’s ideological line, adhere to fundamental principles while breaking new ground, and integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and its fine traditional culture. We must remain steadfast in following our own path and integrate theory with practice. Focusing on the practical challenges of reform and opening up and socialist modernization in the New Era, we must continually answer the questions concerning the present and future of China and its people, and the wider world. We must promote theoretical, institutional, scientific and technological, cultural, and other forms of innovation grounded in practice, continually open up new horizons for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and reinvigorate the spirit of seeking truth from facts in the New Era.

Carry Forward the Red Legacy of Putting the Overall Interests First, Observing Discipline Strictly, and Maintaining Close Unity, Draw Strength from the Great Long March Spirit, and Advance on the New Journey in Unity

The victory of the Long March was a victory of the great spirit of unity.

This extraordinary expedition, which astonished the world, constantly tested the Red Army’s commitment to the overall interests, its sense of discipline, and its spirit of unity. During the Long March, the enemy enjoyed overwhelming numerical superiority, and the battlefield situation changed rapidly. At times, the Red Army had to relinquish local positions voluntarily to preserve its main forces; at others, it had to maneuver across regions to support neighboring units. The principle that local interests must unconditionally yield to the overall interests of the revolution became a rule consciously observed throughout the army. Whether undertaking long marches, fighting breakout battles, or planning and deploying military operations, the Party and the Red Army consistently assessed the situation from an overall perspective. They sought not only to achieve concrete results in individual battles but also to retain the strategic initiative in the war as a whole. In the perilous and hostile environment, and in the face of attempts to split the Party and the Red Army, Red Army officers and soldiers put the overall interests of the revolution first, maintained strict discipline, obeyed orders, worked in close coordination, and united against the powerful enemy. This fostered solidarity throughout the Party and the army and between the military and the people. Mao Zedong observed that the People’s Army “derives its strength from the conscious discipline of all those who serve in it.” It was precisely this iron discipline that safeguarded the unity of the Party and the Red Army.

An essential component of the great Long March Spirit is putting the overall interests first, observing discipline strictly, and maintaining close unity. Unity is as strong as iron and steel. It is a powerful force for overcoming every difficulty and a vital guarantee of rallying people together and accomplishing great undertakings. China’s remarkable development achievements, which have drawn worldwide attention, are the result of people of all ethnic groups across the country working together with one heart and one mind toward common goals. Unity and collective endeavor are essential to the Chinese people’s ability to accomplish great things and make history. As long as the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people continue to carry forward this great spirit of unity, they will surely forge a powerful force that advances courageously and overcomes every obstacle.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and advance on the new Long March in the New Era, we must consciously strengthen our awareness of the need to uphold political integrity, think in terms of the big picture, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central leadership. We must maintain a high degree of unity with the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core in our thinking, political orientation, and actions. We must enforce Party discipline strictly and persevere in exercising full and rigorous self-governance, with the resolve and commitment to keep this endeavor ongoing. We must promote extensive unity and solidarity, continually consolidate and strengthen unity among all ethnic groups, among the people of the whole country, and among all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. We must fully mobilize the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of the hundreds of millions of people and forge a mighty force for advancing Chinese modernization.

Put the People First, Do Everything for Them and Rely on Them in Everything We Do, Draw Strength of Character from the Great Long March Spirit, and Devote Ourselves Wholeheartedly to the New Journey

The victory of the Long March was a victory of the people.

As a Marxist ruling party, the CPC possesses not only the formidable power of truth but also the compelling power of exemplary conduct. The Party and the Red Army were able to triumph under extremely difficult conditions because they “were entirely dedicated to the liberation of the people and worked wholly for the interests of the people,” winning the people’s wholehearted support. Wherever the Red Army went, it received the support of the local people. This support was the deepest source of its confidence and strength in achieving victory in the Long March under the most arduous conditions. No matter how harsh the environment, how scarce the supplies, or how difficult the circumstances, the Red Army maintained strict discipline, taking not so much as a needle or a thread from the people and not harming even a blade of grass or a tree. Through their exemplary conduct, Red Army officers and soldiers won the people’s trust and support.

At the exhibition hall commemorating the story of “the warmth of half a quilt,” General Secretary Xi Jinping observed: “Our army is an army of the people, and the bond between us Communists and the ordinary people is like sharing a single quilt.” In the areas traversed by the Red Army during the Long March, countless moving stories, like that of the half quilt, testify to the deep bonds between the army and the people. It was precisely this profound bond, forged through sharing life and death and standing together through adversity, that provided the Red Army with an inexhaustible source of strength under the most difficult conditions. It enabled the Red Army to accomplish its great strategic relocation and laid a solid popular foundation for the ultimate victory of the Chinese revolution.

An essential component of the great Long March Spirit is relying wholeheartedly on the people, sharing life and death with them, standing together through adversity, and striving alongside them through hardship. The people are the creators of history, and the masses are the true heroes. Our Party comes from the people, is rooted among the people, and serves the people. Its foundations, lifeblood, and strength all lie with the people. The mass line is the Party’s lifeline and its fundamental line of work. Only by always trusting the people, relying wholeheartedly on them, and fully mobilizing their initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity can we rally them into a mighty force capable of overcoming all obstacles.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and advance on the new Long March in the New Era, we must put the people first and uphold a people-centered philosophy of development. We must always remember that the country is the people and the people are the country, keep the people foremost in our hearts, and regard improving their wellbeing as our greatest achievement. We must remain mindful of their hardships and constantly seek ways to improve their lives. We must ensure that development is for the people, relies on the people, and delivers its benefits to the people, so that the gains of modernization benefit all the people more extensively and equitably. We must conscientiously fulfill the Party’s fundamental purpose and follow its mass line in the New Era, doing everything for the people and relying on them in everything we do. We must draw ideas from the people and put them into practice among the people, turning the Party’s sound policies into conscious action by the people. In this way, our Party will continue to earn the people’s trust and support, and our cause will always have an inexhaustible source of strength.

Uphold and Strengthen the Party’s Overall Leadership, Resolutely Safeguard the Authority of the CPC Central Committee and Its Centralized, Unified Leadership, Firmly Uphold the Two Affirmations, and Resolutely Ensure the Two Upholds

The victory of the Long March was a victory of Party leadership.

Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: “Who brought about the victory of the Long March? The Communist Party. Without the Communist Party, such a Long March would have been inconceivable.” The Zunyi Meeting, held during the Long March, in effect established Mao Zedong’s leadership position within the CPC Central Committee and the Red Army. It also marked the beginning of the establishment within the Central Committee of the leading position of the correct Marxist line represented primarily by Mao Zedong, and the initial formation of the Party’s first-generation central leadership collective with Mao Zedong at its core. This was the most important guarantee that enabled the Party and the revolutionary cause to emerge from grave crises and continually break new ground.

History has repeatedly demonstrated, and will continue to demonstrate, that the key to running China’s affairs well lies in the Party. Without the CPC, there would be no new China and no rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The CPC’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee of successive victories in China’s revolution, development, and reform. It is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and its greatest strength.

To carry forward the great Long March Spirit and advance on the new Long March in the New Era, we must uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership and the CPC Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership, and persevere in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance. We must ensure that the Party remains a Marxist ruling party at the forefront of the times, enjoying the wholehearted support of the people, having the courage to reform itself, capable of withstanding all kinds of trials and challenges, and full of vigor and vitality. It must remain the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must deeply appreciate the decisive significance of the Two Affirmations and resolutely ensure the Two Upholds. On these matters, we must be exceptionally clear-minded, discerning, and firm in our convictions. We must never be timid or equivocal, conceal our position or engage in self-deception, or show the slightest hesitation or wavering.

The great victory of the Long March has been inscribed in the glorious history of the Chinese people’s united struggle. The new Long March toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation entails an even more glorious mission, more arduous tasks, more formidable challenges, and an even greater undertaking. On the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong warned the entire Party: “To win countrywide victory is only the first step in a long march of ten thousand li. Even if this step is worthy of pride, it is comparatively tiny; what will be more worthy of pride is yet to come.”

Today, the vision of the New Era unfolds on a magnificent scale, and the new journey is marked by extraordinary ambition. By 2035, we aim to basically achieve socialist modernization. From 2035 to the middle of this century, we will strive for another 15 years to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful. This is another great advance unprecedented in history. Every milestone along the way marks a waypoint on the new Long March and a reference point on our journey toward national rejuvenation.

Let us unite even more closely around the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, carry forward the great Long March Spirit, and strive tirelessly to advance the cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, with unflagging determination and an indomitable will to forge ahead!

Translated from: 

^* People’s Daily, October 16, 2026, p. 9.