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What was the Long March, and why does it remain a defining chapter in modern Chinese history?

From October 1934 to October 1936, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army broke through encirclement by Kuomintang forces and undertook a military journey across China. Over two years, Red Army troops crossed more than 10 provinces, braving fierce battles, raging rivers, snow-covered mountains and treacherous grasslands. The Long March came to an end in October 1936, when the three main Red Army forces joined up in northwest China.

In 1936, American journalist Edgar Snow traveled to northern Shaanxi to interview Red Army leaders and document their lives. His book Red Star Over China, published in 1937, helped bring their stories to an international audience.

As China marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March's victory in 2026, we look back at the journey, the people who endured it and the story that reached far beyond China.

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12,500 kilometers: What was the Long March?