Military Museum Opens Permanent Exhibition on Long March 90th Anniversary

The Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Museum in Beijing has opened a permanent exhibition commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March, displaying 1,061 historical relics and documents. At a Ministry of National Defense briefing, spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin stated that more than 300 items are being publicly presented for the first time. Spanning 3,300 square meters, the installation incorporates interactive digital media, three-dimensional scene reconstructions, and, for the first time, English-language explanatory texts, serving as an institutional anchor for defense education and ideological alignment.

Elevating the 90th anniversary commemoration into a permanent basic exhibition shifts the Long March from an episodic historical milestone into an enduring platform for political training and national defense mobilization. By investing in interactive digital curation and bilingual texts, Chinese defense institutions are reinforcing internal political loyalty while standardizing the PLA's foundational historical narrative for foreign observers and domestic audiences alike.

On September 22, the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing opened an exhibition titled "The Long Expedition" to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March victory, according to reports by China Military Online. At a regular press conference on September 24, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin announced that the presentation will remain in place as a permanent basic exhibition. The installation occupies 3,300 square meters across seven thematic sections, bringing together 1,061 cultural relics and historical documents, 357 photographs and charts, and 73 works of art. Museum officials noted that the total volume of exhibited documents and relics more than doubled compared to prior retrospectives, with over 300 artifacts—accounting for approximately 28 percent of the collection—being shown publicly for the first time. Key items on display include forensic identification papers for martyr Fang Zhimin, a pistol carried by commander Liu Zhidan bearing patriotic inscriptions, a wartime hand-cranked generator, and a tablecloth presented by Mao Zedong to local Miao villagers. To modernise visitor engagement, curators incorporated three-dimensional site reconstructions and interactive displays. These include a responsive facade modeled on the Zunyi Conference site that permits users to browse historical participant data, alongside tactile interactive stations simulating the sub-zero environmental conditions traversed by Red Army soldiers across high-altitude mountain passes. Spokesperson Jiang also noted the introduction of digital links to historical records, musical recordings, and, for the first time, comprehensive English-language explanatory texts designed to broaden accessibility. Museum Chief Expert Fang Wei stated that the exhibition aims to highlight the Party's leadership throughout the campaign and inspire viewers to maintain political discipline on what state media terms the "new Long March." Deputy Curator Yan Xin added that the expanded multimedia curation was specifically designed to provide an immersive experience for diverse visitor demographics. The establishment of this permanent installation underscores the PLA's reliance on revolutionary history as a core instrument of political education and armed forces morale.