Leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) gathered in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the Long March. The Party’s General Secretary Xi Jinping on Friday called on the Chinese people to carry on the spirit left by the Long March.

Xi spoke about the difficulties that the Red Army faced during the 12,500 kilometer trek that took place between 1934 and 1936. With more than 600 battles fought, almost a hundred rivers crossed, and more than 40 mountains climbed, Xi said that the Long March should be seen as a remarkable miracle as soldiers conquered the limits of human existence. He hailed the Long March as “an epic story written by the CPC and the Red Army, and a milestone in the historical progress of the nation’s rejuvenation.”

80 years later General Secretary Xi said the Long March still has great significance in the historical development of the Party, the State, and the army with far-reaching impact in China’s past. He called the Long March:

“The lofty ideals and firm beliefs will always be the political soul of the Chinese communists,” Xi said. He talked about the difficulties that the Red Army faced -- “In the 12,500 kilometer trek that the Red First Army took, a soldier would lost his life in every 300 meters.”

“From the expedition, the Party and the Red Army were not getting weaker, but stronger, because our Party had found the right way of the Chinese Revolution, and the right theory that guided that road to it,” he said. 

Xi Jinping said that the success of the Red Army could not have been done without the support of the people. “People are patrons, so that the Red Army won the battle,” Xi said, adding that “people are the source of strength for the victory of the Long March".

He went on to say that the success of the Long March defined the Party’s direction and way. “The process of the Long March is not only the process of defeating the enemy, winning the victory, and realizing the strategic goal, but also the process of linking with reality, advancing the theory, and exploring the revolutionary road,” he said. 

He went on to say that the Long March of our generation is to realize the “two millennium goals”, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese dream. 

He said in order to further the great spirit of the Long March, China must firmly uphold the ideal of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, make the people as priority, and build a world class army to maintain the nation’s security and world peace. 

He went on to conclude that China is closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history. “We have more confidence and ability than any time in history to achieve this goal. Our generation, who inherited the cause of our predecessors, is now reforming in today’s times, but we also have to open up roads for tomorrow.”