A red thread runs through it

Editor's note: China Daily reporters leverage local expertise to devise diverse itineraries that showcase a blend of historical landmarks and natural wonders in highly recommended cities and sites, offering practical guidance to experience the country.

There are journeys that take you to a destination, and there are journeys that take you into history. The Long March is both.

Ninety years after the Red Army completed its epic trek, travelers are retracing its route across Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Gansu and other provinces and regions, crossing mountains, grasslands and historic sites along a route that has become one of China's most significant red tourism trails.

The Long March (1934-36) by the Red Army, the predecessor of the People's Liberation Army, was launched by multiple forces from different revolutionary base areas across southern China, with the main force embarking from Jiangxi.

After traversing about 12,500 kilometers, the main forces eventually joined up in northwestern China, including Jiangtaibu, in today's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Huining, Gansu, in October 1936. Pursued by more than one million enemy troops, the Red Army endured extraordinary hardships along the way.

Today, the route offers travelers a different way to encounter that history — not simply by reading about it, but by walking through the landscapes where it unfolded. From Guizhou to Sichuan and Gansu, each stop along the way reveals a different chapter of the Long March.

In Guizhou, visitors can explore the site of the Zunyi Conference, where a pivotal meeting in the history of the Red Army took place — a turning point that saved the revolutionary cause and established Mao Zedong's leadership at a critical moment when the Red Army was facing crises.

In Sichuan, travelers climb snowcapped mountains and cross marshy grasslands, following routes that evoke the arduous conditions faced by Red Army soldiers.

In Gansu, visitors to Huining county can stand beneath the memorial tower marking the meeting of the three main Red Army forces and learn about the events that brought the Long March to its final stage.

Experiences like these turn history from words on a page into something tangible — something encountered through places, landscapes and personal experience.

Today, Long March-themed tourism is also finding new ways to engage younger travelers. Hiking routes, live reenactments and virtual reality experiences invite visitors to retrace sections of the journey and encounter its history in more immersive ways.

As new generations retrace those historic footsteps, the stories and memories associated with the journey continue to find new life.

With the nationwide Long March National Cultural Park project launched in 2019, the revolution's legacy becomes a source of courage and inspiration for the Long March of our new era.