Xi Jinping new Long March - People Daily Online

A drone photo taken on April 16, 2026 shows students taking part in a memorial event at a monument commemorating the departure of the Central Red Army during the Long March, in Yudu County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the Yudu River in east China, a choir sang of soldiers leaving home more than nine decades ago. Beside the singers, eight large red Chinese characters proclaimed: "May the spirit of the Long March shine forever." In October 1934, some 86,000 Red Army soldiers crossed the river, little knowing that they were embarking on a grueling 12,500-kilometer journey, which American journalist Edgar Snow hailed as "an odyssey unequaled in modern times." In October 1936, three main Red Army forces converged in northwestern China, marking the end of the Long March. As China commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Long March's victorious conclusion this year, visitors have traveled to the mountainous county of Yudu in Jiangxi Province to see where it all began. Yudu's visitors number in the millions each year. Among those who have made the trip is Chinese President Xi Jinping. During his visit in May 2019, Xi laid a…