During his journey to northern Shaanxi in 1936, US journalist Edgar Snow got his first close look at the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Red Army. Through interviews with Mao Zedong and firsthand encounters with the Red Army soldiers, he witnessed a resilience, openness and conviction that contrasted sharply with many of the untrue narratives circulating at the time. It gave him a new understanding of the CPC and strengthened his confidence in China's future.