After months of planning, heated discussions and repeated plan revisions, the New China special live program debuted Monday.

The special program is comprised of three teams, which will be crisscrossing the nation in 12 days, highlighting changes and challenges in 15 provinces and municipalities, with an estimated total mileage of about 15,000 kilometers.

"I feel very fortunate to be able to join one of the most interesting routes, the southwest route, which covers much of China's southwest," said CGTN reporter Liu Xinqing. "Our journey starts with Zunyi, a place about 150 kilometers from Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province." 

So why Zunyi?

Zunyi was chosen because of the famous Zunyi Conference and its place in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In 1935, during the Zunyi Conference, the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Mao Zedong, took over leadership of the CPC Central Committee after the Red Army suffered a huge loss in the fifth anti-encirclement battle against Kuomintang forces, and was forced to take on the Long March.

The Zunyi Conference was a turning point that led to the ultimate success of the Chinese Revolution and the founding of the PRC.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, CGTN revisits the places that have played important roles in the development of the CPC and the founding of the country. 

"That's why we choose Zunyi and moved our live studio to the conference site to pay tribute to those founding fathers of the PRC, and carry forward the Long March spirit. During our live TV show and the new media live-streaming, we took our audience to relive this part of the history through the rich collections within the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall," said Liu.

CGTN interviewed officials of the memorial hall to get better insights about the conference and heroic stories during the Long March. The crew also invited experts to shed light on the significance of these historical events, how the Long March spirit is still affecting people, and how Guizhou Province and the country are carrying forward such spirit by constantly breaking new ground in their development. More than four million people visit Zunyi from all over the country every year to pay tribute to these historical events and national heroes. 

China has come a long way in realizing its goal of rejuvenating the Chinese nation. It has developed from one of the poorest countries in the world 70 years ago into the second largest economy, lifting over 800 million people out of poverty, and cutting the illiteracy rate by more than 90 percent.

"More than 80 years after the Long March, China still needs the Long March spirit, and even more so today than ever before as it is still facing a lot of challenges moving ahead," noted Liu. "If the founding fathers of the PRC can trek through tens of thousands of miles in rugged mountains all on foot while having to endure extreme hunger and counter the encirclement of the enemy, what else cannot be done? All the challenges facing China's development would be nothing compared to the do-or-die moment 80 years ago."

"The 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC is a great occasion for China to review its past and look forward into the future. In this sense, the city of Zunyi and the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall is the best place to kick off this special live program as we review and remember this part of history and we regain strength through learning about the past. This live show gives us an opportunity to do just that," added Liu. 

"With most of the roads we are expected to travel zigzagging through the rugged mountains, the southwest route is never the easiest to travel, but I am sure, it will be the most interesting and rewarding one to start with," said Liu.