China's New Long March: Beijing Deploys History for Global Influence

LANZHOU, China – July 14, 2026 – An international communication project retracing the steps of the Red Army's Long March through Gansu province is casting a spotlight on how China is leveraging its revolutionary history to shape its modern identity and global image. The initiative, led by the state-run China International Communications Group (CICG), features party historians who are articulating a narrative that links the arduous struggles of the past with the country's contemporary ambitions for "national rejuvenation."

Zeng Jun, an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, is a key figure in the Gansu leg of the project. In a recent interview, he emphasized the province's unique historical standing. "Gansu is the only province through which all four major Red Army forces on the Long March passed," Zeng noted, highlighting pivotal events like the Battle of Lazikou and the final reunion of forces in Huining. This carefully orchestrated event is more than a historical commemoration; it represents a significant element of China's sophisticated and well-funded strategy to "tell China's story well" on the international stage.

Gansu: The Crucible of the Revolution

Gansu's role in the Long March (1934-1936) was not merely geographical but profoundly strategic, serving as the critical corridor that allowed the beleaguered Communist forces to escape annihilation and establish a new stronghold. The events that transpired here are foundational to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) origin story.

In September 1935, the Red Army faced the formidable Battle of Lazikou. The Lazikou Pass, a narrow, heavily fortified gorge, was the Kuomintang's final major blockade intended to trap the Communists. A victory here was essential for survival. After initial setbacks, a small group of Red Army soldiers undertook a daring night raid, scaling cliffs to ambush the nationalist defenders and secure the pass. This victory broke the encirclement and opened the path toward northern Shaanxi.

Following this, the Bangluo Town Meeting took place, another key strategic conference where crucial decisions were made. According to Zeng, it was in Gansu that the Red Army made the historic decision to establish its final revolutionary base in northern Shaanxi. This move would prove decisive, giving the CCP a secure territory to regroup, grow, and eventually launch its successful bid for control of China.

The Long March officially concluded in October 1936 with the reunion of the First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies in Huining, Gansu. This convergence of forces, after years of grueling retreat across thousands of miles of treacherous terrain, symbolized the preservation of the revolutionary core and the ultimate success of the strategic maneuver. By highlighting these specific events, the CICG project aims to cement Gansu's status as a hallowed ground in the Party's history.

From Revolutionary Struggle to National Rejuvenation

The project's slogan, "carrying forward the spirit of the Long March and writing a new chapter in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," explicitly connects the past to the present. The "spirit of the Long March"—a concept embodying perseverance, sacrifice, unity, and unwavering conviction—is being actively reinterpreted as a guiding principle for China's 21st-century ambitions.

This narrative is central to the political philosophy of President Xi Jinping, who has frequently invoked the Long March as a metaphor for the challenges China faces today. He has framed the pursuit of the "two centenary goals" and the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation as a "new Long March" for the current generation. According to state media, this spirit is the driving force behind modern national projects, from poverty alleviation and technological innovation to environmental protection and rural revitalization.

By framing contemporary policy goals within this heroic historical context, the Party seeks to foster national pride and a sense of collective purpose. "It's a powerful tool for domestic mobilization," noted one analyst specializing in Chinese politics. "It suggests that today's sacrifices for national development are part of the same historical struggle as the revolution itself, which helps legitimize Party leadership and its long-term strategic goals."

The Architecture of 'Telling China's Story Well'

The "Together on the Long March" project is not an isolated event but a component of a vast and centrally coordinated international communication strategy. The organizer, CICG, is a state-owned entity operating directly under the CCP's Central Propaganda Department. Its primary mandate is to advance China's external messaging and present an image of the country that is, in President Xi's words, "credible, lovable, and respectable."

Formerly the China International Publishing Group, CICG is a media behemoth, publishing thousands of books and dozens of periodicals in multiple languages distributed in over 180 countries. With a global network of overseas branches and a growing focus on digital media, it is at the forefront of China's efforts to increase its cultural soft power and counter what it views as negative Western narratives.

These communication initiatives aim to do more than simply broadcast information. They are designed to shape perceptions by creating an emotional and historical resonance with global audiences. By inviting international participants to retrace the Long March, Beijing seeks to transform a complex and often contested historical event into a universal story of human resilience and determination, while subtly embedding its own political interpretation.

A Global Narrative in a Contested Space

China's push to control its historical narrative is taking place in a competitive global information environment. While Beijing promotes the Long March as a story of heroic triumph, some Western historians offer more critical interpretations, highlighting the immense human cost and internal party purges that also characterized the retreat. The effectiveness of China's soft power campaign remains a subject of debate among international relations experts.

"While these efforts are extensive and incredibly well-funded, their impact in Western democracies is often limited by a lack of trust in state-controlled sources," commented a European-based researcher on public diplomacy. However, the strategy may find more receptive audiences in the Global South, where narratives of anti-imperialism and national self-determination resonate more strongly.

To enhance its reach, China is increasingly turning to sophisticated digital strategies. CICG subsidiaries are actively recruiting social media influencers and experts in AI-generated content to create and disseminate localized propaganda. The establishment of International Communication Centers (ICCs) at the provincial level, like the one likely supporting the Gansu project, demonstrates a coordinated, multi-layered approach to ensure message consistency from the local to the global level. As China prepares to mark the 90th anniversary of the Long March's conclusion in 2026, such communication initiatives are expected to intensify, representing a continued strategic investment in shaping the world's understanding of China's past, present, and future.