The Long March (长征 Cháng zhēng), 1934 – 1935 (Part 9)

The Long March National Cultural Park, Luding, Sichuan Province, Southwest China

Artefacts that witnessed events during The Long march

Preserved at the Central Red Army Long March Departure Memorial Museum in Jiangxi Province, China, is a seemingly ordinary fishing boat once used by boatman Li Shengren to ferry Red Army soldiers across the Yudu River. In October 1934, local boatmen worked through the nights to help the Central Red Army cross the river and begin its Long March. What did this boat witness on those historical nights?

A vintage wooden wall clock is preserved at the Zunyi Conference Memorial Museum in Guizhou Province, China. Held from January 15 to 17, 1935, the Zunyi Conference marked a turning point in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Red Army. Hanging quietly on the meeting room wall, this clock witnessed a pivotal moment in the Long March.

On display at the National Museum of China in Beijing is an extraordinary revolutionary relic – a copy of the Proclamation of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Its paper has yellowed with age, but its handwriting remains clear. Issued at a critical juncture in the Long March, this proclamation was the first formal public notice to use the phrase 红军万里长征, meaning The Red Army’s Long March of Ten Thousand Li. Who issued this proclamation? What did it say, and why was it significant? Let’s uncover its story.

On display at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution in Beijing is a cotton-padded coat worn by a Red Army soldier to keep warm. Though faded with age, the coat is covered with hundreds of patches across its shoulders, cuffs and front. Who did this coat belong to? What stories of the Long March lie behind these patches? Let’s take a closer look at this revolutionary relic and discover the story behind it.

A half-length leather belt bearing the three Chinese characters 长征记 – literally, Record of the Long March, is on display at a Chinese military museum. Who did the belt belong to? Why is only half of it left? Let’s learn the story behind this simple yet powerful relic.

A wooden sign bearing the words “热烈庆祝红军大会合” – literally, Warmly Celebrate the Reunion of the Red Army – is preserved at the Red Army Long March Victory Memorial Hall in Huining County of China’s Northwest Gansu Province. Why was this seemingly ordinary sign kept hidden for nearly 50 years? How does this artifact bear witness to the moment the Long March moved toward victory? Let’s uncover the story behind it.