New Long March

By ETHEL LU

Front cover of New Long March.

IN October 1934, more than 80,000 Red Army soldiers set out on an epic journey that was to change the course of Chinese history forever. Retreating from Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist encirclement, they embarked on the legendary Long March starting from Jiangxi Province and traversing 14 provinces. Sixty-eight years later, on October 16, 2002, two Britons, Ed Jocelyn and Andrew McEwen, set out to realize their “big and beautiful dream.” The two friends, who had lived in Beijing for several years, set out from Yudu, Jiangxi Province, and began to retrace the Long March. In January 2005, Changjiang Literature and Arts Press published their book, New Long March (Chinese edition) – a diary recording their 384-day adventure.

A Beautiful Dream

Local villagers received Jocelyn and McEwen as they would a circus.

The two marchers met in the UK at university where McEwen studied international politics and journalism and Jocelyn wrote his PhD in history. Before coming to China in 1997, they knew little about the Long March. “When we were at middle school in the 1970s, the only thing we knew about China was that if the entire population jumped off a table at the exact same time, we in the West would be drowned by the ensuing tidal wave! If the teacher had asked us about the Long March, we’d have thought he meant a high-endurance battery.”

In May 2000, when Jocelyn and McEwen toured Guizhou Province, they discovered that the Red Army soldiers had passed through the province during the Long March. “We were captivated by Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China. As tens of thousands of Chinese people witnessed that epic journey, many of them are still alive today, so stories of the Long March and its history also live on. We thought that the best way to deepen our understanding of China would be to explore that living history, so we decided to retrace the legendary route, interviewing Long March survivors and reliving the Long March spirit.” So, after two years’ preparation, the pair headed for Yudu, starting point of the Long March, and began their adventure, amid curious stares from the locals. “Our backpacks weighed between 25 and 30 kilograms. We brought sleeping bags, cooking equipment, a water purifier, some food, medicine, cameras and film, a mini laptop, a satellite phone and tents. We also had some vaccinations before setting off.”

A Worthwhile Trip

Liu Buding, aged 77, showed the British visitor the stairs on which Mao Zedong once stood.

Jocelyn and McEwen planned to finish their Long March in 366 days. That’s how long it took the First Front Army to complete the original journey. However, daily treks of 20 to 35 kilometers while carrying such heavy equipment eventually took toll on their health, and they began to falter. At one point, McEwan was forced to return to Beijing for treatment, but he returned six days later. In the end, they completed the journey 16 days later than planned.

“We were confronted with the same problems every day, like ‘Where are we going?’ ‘What can we eat?’ and ‘Where can we stay?’ The Red Army soldiers shared some of our concerns, but we were much luckier; we did not have Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist troops on our heels while enduring food shortages and other hardships.”

After arriving at a new town or village along the route, they would ask the locals, “Do you know anyone who saw the Red Army soldiers or participated in the Long March?” Kind-hearted villagers were glad to help out – they are very proud of the Long March. In all, McEwen and Jocelyn interviewed 11 survivors of the Long March, and 107 witnesses. They were most impressed by the vivid accounts of the Long March veterans; their first-hand stories were better than any history textbooks or TV programs. Some soldiers that were injured stayed in the villages to recover and ended up falling in love with local women and settling down. What really excited the two most was meeting a 69-year-old woman called Xiong Huazhi, who might well be the long-lost daughter of Mao Zedong and his wife He Zizhen. According to a local historian, Xiong was born at the same time and place as a daughter reportedly born to Mao and He.

Jocelyn and McEwen say their findings showed the journey to be 6,000 kilometers (12,000 li) rather than the purported 12,500 kilometers (25,000 li). This discovery, however, had little impact on Jocelyn’s admiration for the Red Army soldiers. “Considering the Red Army’s achievements and its importance in Chinese history and culture, the actual distance bears little relevance.”

Cultural Differences

“The book aims to highlight China from a foreigner’s perspective, and actual history is just a small aspect of it. We’ve tried to avoid bias and stereotypical thinking and focus on real-life stories,” the two agreed. The book records their time spent with kindhearted Chinese farmers, and the folk customs they encounter across half of China.

“The people we met along the route were very friendly. As villages were inaccessible. Some villagers had never seen a stranger, let alone two foreigners, so were very curious about us. In general, if we could find an inn, we wouldn’t stay at the villagers’ homes, because when we tried to pay for accommodation, they wouldn’t accept it, so we left the money under the pillow, just like the Red Army soldiers had. But once the villagers discovered our trick, they would insist that we take the money back.” The simple and hospitable villagers left a deep impression on the two Britishers.

In more remote villages, finding accommodation was a problem. “Just knock at the door,” people advised them. “This was unimaginable for us, because if two Chinese travelers did so in a British village, the locals would call the police.” But they discovered that in China’s countryside, it’s normal practice and worked effective every time.

New Long March also records recent developments along the Long March route. Although many new roads have been built, Jocelyn and McEwen preferred to walk along the original but now defunct roads as a means to experience the Red Army soldiers’ spirit.

To supplement the book, Jocelyn and McEwen published a photo album in three versions: English, simplified Chinese and original complex Chinese. The English version of New Long March is expected to be published by the end of the year. After its publication, the book has drawn attention from many Chinese scholars.

In November 2005, Jocelyn will team up with a Chinese man to retrace the Second Front Army’s Route from Hunan to Ningxia.