Recounting the bravery and sacrifice of those on Mao Zedong’s Long March used to be a unifying force in China. Now competing views of the Long March are dividing the old guard and younger generations, says the Los Angeles Times’s John M. Glionna.
Between 1934 and 1936, about 300,000 Red Army soldiers fled from government forces in southern China, traveling over 6,000 miles of harsh terrain in search of a haven to continue the revolution. The events represent a founding story of hardship and courage for communist China in much the same way as Valley Forge does for the U.S. Only one in 10 survived the march. And only 500 veterans of the march remain alive today.
For decades, veterans of the march have been celebrated for their sacrifices. Their status, however, is being undermined by recent research from both inside and outside China portraying the march as an uncontrolled rout. Many of the deaths are now blamed on intraparty purges and Mao’s decisions to wage pointless, bloody battles. It seems peasants were forced against their will to join.
Many young Chinese are accepting some of these revisions, and are starting to view veterans as willing puppets of the propaganda machine. “In the West, we’re constantly rethinking our wars,” said Andrew McEwen, co-author of a recent book about the march. “China is only now beginning to do that. But we’re running out of time. These survivors are dying off.”
Few of the veterans seem willing to shake their view of Mao as a great leader, says Mr. Glionna. Casting doubt on the legacy would call the entire national character into question. “I don’t believe the new thinking,” says Tu Tongjin, a 94-year-old veteran. “I follow the version the Chairman has put forth.” – Robin Moroney