Beijing, October 21st / PRNewswire / -- The following is an interview conducted by China.org.cn with Wang Xiaohui and David Ferguson about the Long March:
Wang Xiaohui:
We've all experienced similar situations where a group of people has differing opinions, yet each side has sufficient reasons to believe that their judgment is correct.
At such a time, should we go our separate ways, or should we work together to find another path forward?
David Ferguson:
The word “unity” is often understood as a strategy. People come together when facing a common enemy, and once that enemy disappears, so does this cooperation. But I’ve been wondering if there exists another kind of unity—one that is not formed because of a common enemy, but rather because of a common goal. It’s not temporary, and it doesn’t disintegrate immediately with changes in the environment. I want to figure that out.
Wang Xiaohui:
An expedition as arduous and extraordinary as the Long March is an unprecedented test for any army.
The snow-capped mountains are bitterly cold, and the grasslands are muddy and treacherous; danger lurks at every step. Food and warm clothing are always in short supply, yet the enemy forces and their artillery fire never cease. Despite these hardships, after the Long March, these poorly equipped and ragged Red Army soldiers remained closely united.
This cohesion is not maintained by strict military discipline, but arises spontaneously from within each soldier's heart. Before setting out, a common ideal and belief had already taken deep root in the hearts of every soldier, strengthening their resolve to follow the Party without hesitation. Along the Long March, the Red Army officers and soldiers shared the same meals and wore coarse military uniforms. Senior commanders such as Zhu De and Peng Dehuai walked most of the way with their troops, giving their horses to the sick and wounded, and even shared their last rations with the soldiers. When food was scarce, even if the advancing troops found edible wild vegetables, they would not exhaust them all, but would notify the following units so that everyone could share them together.
In the late autumn of 1936, the Loess Plateau in northwestern China witnessed two exhilarating reunions, marking the successful conclusion of the Long March. First, in Huining, the soldiers of the First Red Army and the Fourth Red Army met again after a long separation and embraced each other tightly. More than ten days later, in Jiangtaibao, the long-awaited Second Red Army joined forces with the First Red Army, which had also traveled a long distance.
Many of these soldiers had never met before, yet they greeted each other as if they were brothers who had been separated for many years, their eyes filled with tears as they shook hands. The officers and soldiers of the Red Army's First Front gave all the supplies they had saved over to their comrades in arms. Three troops that had endured the hardships of battle came together to form a powerful force on the Loess Plateau. Just a month later, they fought together and achieved victory in the Battle of Shanchengbao, drawing a glorious conclusion to the Long March.
When scattered sparks come together, an inherent unity bursts forth with a powerful force, sufficient to rewrite the fate of an army and change the course of a nation's history.
At that time, Japanese invaders were continuously advancing deep into China's interior, occupying more and more territory, while the civil war continued. The Communist Party of China (CPC) clearly understood that the brutal conflicts among the Chinese people would only allow the invaders to reap the benefits. Only national unity could defend the motherland. The CPC publicly called for an end to the civil war and a united resistance against Japan, formally proposing to establish a national united front against Japanese aggression. They even took the initiative to cease military actions and withdraw their troops as a sign of good faith. When the survival of a nation was at stake, they chose to unite all Chinese people.
Two Kuomintang officers stationed in the northwest, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, witnessed the dire situation of the nation and were also moved by the unity against Japan advocated by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Both decided to cooperate with the CPC to resist Japanese aggression and repeatedly pleaded with Chiang Kai-shek to shift the focus to national defense, but their requests were not heeded. In the end, they detained Chiang Kai-shek by force, an event that later became known as the Xi'an Incident.
After the news of Chiang Kai-shek's arrest spread, many people thought that the Communist Party of China (CPC) would demand a public trial, given the deep-seated grievances between the two sides over the years. Surprisingly, Zhou Enlai personally led a CPC delegation to Xi'an to mediate, explaining the stakes to all parties: executing Chiang Kai-shek would only trigger an even larger civil war and provide an excellent opportunity for Japanese invaders to further penetrate China. The only path for China's nation to a bright future was through peaceful resolution, forcing Chiang Kai-shek to join the ranks of the anti-Japanese resistance.
Set aside partisan differences and put the highest interests of the nation first – this is the answer given by the Communist Party of China. In the end, the Xi'an Incident was resolved peacefully, and ten years of civil war came to an end. Since then, the Chinese nation has finally united to resist foreign aggression together.
Nearly a century has passed, yet the spirit of unity forged during the Long March has never faded.
In September 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held, officially establishing the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The spirit of unity forged during the Long March was thereafter written into the framework of China's governance system, becoming one of the principles that have been consistently adhered to over the long term.
From the early construction period after the founding of New China in 1949, through the reform and opening-up era of 1978, to today's new journey towards Chinese-style modernization, each challenge has further tempered this core spirit of unity. In the battle against poverty, the whole nation worked together as one: the developed regions in the east provided substantial support to the less developed areas in the west, officials rooted themselves at the grassroots level, and the people relied on their own efforts and struggled hard. With the joint efforts of hundreds of millions of people across the country, absolute poverty was ultimately eradicated nationwide. When earthquakes and floods struck, rescue teams rushed to the disaster areas from all over the country, and supplies for relief and charitable donations also continued to flow in without interruption.
From the helping hands extended among the soldiers on the Long March to the unity displayed across the country today, this essence of unity has never changed. It was once the key force that propelled the Red Army forward in seemingly insurmountable difficulties, and it remains today as a solid foundation driving China's continuous progress.
David Ferguson:
After listening to the stories of the convergence of the three main forces of the Red Army and the Xi'an Incident, I found the answer.
The Long March taught me that unity is a condition for survival—not the kind of unity that says, “I need you now, so let’s work together,” but rather the kind that says, “We believe in a common cause, so we must stand together.” This kind of unity does not disappear once danger passes, because it is rooted in faith, not fear.
Wang Xiaohui:
From the arduous path of the Long March to today's journey of national rejuvenation, as long as a group of people or a nation unites around a common ideal, no matter how long and tortuous the road ahead, they will ultimately reach the future they aspire to.
China Mosaic http :// www.china.org.cn / video /node_7230027. htm
Unity : The Convergence of the Three Main Red Army Forces http :// www.china.org.cn /2026-10/20/content_118741729. shtml
SOURCE China . org.cn
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