Long March

The Long March (<a href="/facts/Simplified_Chinese_characters/UcAD6xXs">Chinese</a>: 长征; <a href="/facts/Pinyin/pUwjfMXg">pinyin</a>: Chángzhēng; lit. 'Long Expedition') was a military retreat by the <a href="/facts/Chinese_Red_Army/7c7Yftra">Chinese Red Army</a> and <a href="/facts/Chinese_Communist_Party/MwS3Togt">Chinese Communist Party</a> (CCP) from advancing <a href="/facts/Kuomintang/jxHMXkAo">Kuomintang</a> forces during the <a href="/facts/Chinese_Civil_War/FML5ckX5">Chinese Civil War</a>, occurring between October 1934 and October 1935. About 100,000 troops retreated from the <a href="/facts/Jiangxi_Soviet/C16b31gj">Jiangxi Soviet</a> and other bases to a new headquarters in <a href="/facts/Yan%2527an/3myDQnga">Yan'an</a>, <a href="/facts/Shaanxi/tNvSEe3v">Shaanxi</a>, traversing some 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles). About 8,000 troops ultimately survived the Long March.
After the defeat of the Red Army in <a href="/facts/Chiang_Kai-shek/dXkvQU17">Chiang Kai-shek</a>'s <a href="/facts/Fifth_encirclement_campaign_against_the_Jiangxi_Soviet/nA5Nkhcv">Fifth Encirclement Campaign</a>, on 10 October 1934 the CCP decided to abandon its Jiangxi Soviet and headquarters in <a href="/facts/Ruijin/LUuNgqGC">Ruijin</a>, Jiangxi. The <a href="/facts/First_Front_Red_Army/bDnJghDg">First Front Red Army</a> of some 86,000 troops headed west, traveling over the rugged terrain of China's western provinces, including eastern <a href="/facts/Tibet/NQChzGo9">Tibet</a>. The Red Army broke several of Chiang's blockades with heavy losses, and by the time it crossed the <a href="/facts/Xiang_River/nuBqjt5x">Xiang River</a> on 1 December had only 36,000 men left. Its leaders, including <a href="/facts/Communist_International/lE7vfpeY">Comintern</a> military adviser <a href="/facts/Otto_Braun_(communist)/qmrQCxMv">Otto Braun</a> and Moscow-trained <a href="/facts/Bo_Gu/lPzXhxMe">Bo Gu</a>, decided to take the troops through <a href="/facts/Hunan/1lbDstf7">Hunan</a>, but Chiang set up defenses to block their way. <a href="/facts/Mao_Zedong/tU9LMYH3">Mao Zedong</a>, who was not a member of the <a href="/facts/Politburo_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party/vPwwzTbv">Politburo</a>, suggested going through <a href="/facts/Guizhou/BWxNrucU">Guizhou</a> instead, which was accepted. On New Year's Day 1935, the Red Army crossed the <a href="/facts/Wu_River_(Yangtze_tributary)/U6xtGXHQ">Wu River</a>, and a week later held the <a href="/facts/Zunyi_Conference/LlwuqRnj">Zunyi Conference</a>, which reduced Soviet influence in the Politburo and established Mao's position as <a href="/facts/De_facto/3Du6WQKh">de facto</a> leader.
Employing <a href="/facts/Guerrilla_warfare/IMWNg4bI">guerrilla warfare</a>, Mao maneuvered to avoid direct confrontation with Chiang's forces and led the Red Army out of encirclements by local warlords. The First Front Army met the Fourth Front Army, led by <a href="/facts/Zhang_Guotao/mXQ9WtdY">Zhang Guotao</a>, in Maogong, <a href="/facts/Sichuan/e65P53aD">Sichuan</a>; they disagreed on the route to take to Yan'an and split up. The First Front Army arrived in Yan'an on 19 October 1935 with about 8,000 survivors, ending the Long March. The Fourth Front Army was largely destroyed by Chiang and <a href="/facts/Ma_clique/HHgY09Eb">Ma clique</a> attacks, and its remnants joined the Second Front Army led by <a href="/facts/He_Long/84rnVgtp">He Long</a>. All three armies met on 22 October 1936.
Mao's leadership during the retreat brought him immense prestige and support among many within the otherwise-shattered Communist Party. It marked the beginning of his long ascent to primacy, and would be featured heavily in his public image, through the founding of the <a href="/facts/People%2527s_Republic_of_China/lTjIXY5p">People's Republic</a>.

Long March open-in-new

Long March