China Launches Nationwide Media Tour to Mark 90th Long March Anniversary

China's Central Propaganda Department has launched a nationwide reporting campaign titled "Carrying Forward the Long March Spirit, Advancing on the Rejuvenation Journey — Journalists Retrace the Long March," commemorating the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Long March victory. Starting in Yudu, Jiangxi Province—where the Central Red Army began its journey in 1934—reporters from central and local media outlets will trace historical routes across 15 provincial-level regions. The tour aims to revisit revolutionary history while showcasing modern socio-economic transformations in former base areas.

The coordinated initiative represents a major state-directed propaganda campaign tied to a significant historical milestone. By mobilizing central and regional media networks across 15 provinces, Beijing aims to reinforce ideological alignment, promote revolutionary heritage, and showcase state-led economic progress in historically impoverished rural areas.

China has launched a nationwide reporting tour to commemorate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March victory, state media announced on September 8. Organized by the Central Propaganda Department, the campaign—titled "Carrying Forward the Long March Spirit, Advancing on the Rejuvenation Journey — Journalists Retrace the Long March"—will mobilize central and local media personnel across 15 provincial-level regions. The reporting route primarily follows the expedition of the Central Red Army (the First Front Army) while also incorporating paths taken by the Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army. The geographic scope spans Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Chongqing, Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Ningxia, and Shaanxi. Concurrently, the National Radio and Television Administration is coordinating a nationwide broadcast campaign titled "Passing the Torch — Our Long March Stories." The initiative formally commenced at the Central Red Army Long March Departure Memorial Park in Yudu County, Jiangxi Province. Historical records state that more than 86,000 troops and personnel departed from Yudu in October 1934 to begin the multi-thousand-kilometer expedition. The launch event featured local commemorative performances depicting civilian support for departing soldiers, along with interviews of Red Army descendants and local educators. State media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, have launched dedicated coverage columns to track reporters visiting historical landmarks, memorial halls, and rural communities along the route. The reported objectives include examining archival history, honoring revolutionary sacrifices, and documenting the economic and social changes that have taken place across former revolutionary base areas over the past nine decades. Official coverage frames the historical campaign as an enduring resource to guide cadres and citizens in navigating contemporary modernization challenges.