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The Long March by Sun Shuyun (5-Mar-2007) Paperback
The Long March is Communist China’s founding myth, the heroic tale that every Chinese child learns in school. Seventy years after the historical march took place, Sun Shuyun set out to retrace the Marchers’ steps and unexpectedly discovered the true history behind the legend. The Long March is the stunning narrative of her extraordinary expedition. The facts are in 1934, in the midst of a brutal civil war, the Communist party and its 200,000 soldiers were forced from their bases by Chiang Kaishek and his Nationalist troops. After that, truth and legend begin to led by Mao Zedong, the Communists set off on a strategic retreat to the distant barren north of China, thousands of miles away. Only one in five Marchers reached their destination, where, the legend goes, they gathered strength and returned to launch the new China in the heat of revolution.As Sun Shuyun journeys to remote villages along the Marchers’ route, she interviews the aged survivors and visits little-known local archives. She uncovers shocking stories of starvation, disease, and desertion, of ruthless purges ordered by party leaders, of the mistreatment of women, and of thousands of futile deaths. Many who survived the March report that their suffering continued long after the “triumph” of the revolution, recounting tales of persecution and ostracism that culminated in the horrific years of the Cultural Revolution. What emerges from Sun’s research, her interviews, and her own memories of growing up in China is a moving portrait of China past and present. Sun finds that the forces at work during the days of the revolution—the barren, unforgiving landscape; the unifying power of outside threats from foreign countries; Mao’s brilliant political instincts and his use of terror, propaganda, and ruthless purges to consolidate power and control the population—are the very forces that made China what it is today. The Long March is a gripping retelling of an amazing historical adventure, an eye-opening account of how Mao manipulated the event for his own purposes, and a beautiful document of a country balanced between legend and the truth.
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First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Sun Shuyun
7 books9 followersSun Shuyun was born in 1963. She graduated from Beijing University and won a scholarship to Oxford. A filmmaker and television producer, she has made documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.
See also: 書雲 and ಸನ್ ಶುಯೂನ್
See also: 書雲 and ಸನ್ ಶುಯೂನ್
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 7, 2012
The Long March: A True History of Communist China's Founding Myth by Sun Shuyun is an incredibly impressive work of revisionist reporting, which calls into question nearly every aspect of the Chinese Communist Party's "official" account of what really occurred during this epic, horrific journey.
The author follows the path taken by those 200,000 plus soldiers who embarked on a grueling journey west and then north from Ruijin in 1934 interviewing the last remaining survivors of the March along the way. The stories told by these survivors of what really happened during the Long March brings into question not only China's "official" account of what occurred, but also causes one to question any country's "official" historical account of war campaigns waged. What really occurred during the long marches of Alexander the Great and his army; of George Washington's campaigns against the British; of the horrors, trials, and tribulations encountered by those who fought and marched during the Seven Years' War; of the Thirty Years' War; of Napoleon's march into Russia, etc.
This book gives the reader a very real, graphic, gruesome understanding of what is involved in the mass movement of tens to hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and their devastating affect on the villages, towns, and areas they pass through.
It has been years since I have read a historical work that was so precise yet raw in its reporting. This book is a must read.
The author follows the path taken by those 200,000 plus soldiers who embarked on a grueling journey west and then north from Ruijin in 1934 interviewing the last remaining survivors of the March along the way. The stories told by these survivors of what really happened during the Long March brings into question not only China's "official" account of what occurred, but also causes one to question any country's "official" historical account of war campaigns waged. What really occurred during the long marches of Alexander the Great and his army; of George Washington's campaigns against the British; of the horrors, trials, and tribulations encountered by those who fought and marched during the Seven Years' War; of the Thirty Years' War; of Napoleon's march into Russia, etc.
This book gives the reader a very real, graphic, gruesome understanding of what is involved in the mass movement of tens to hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and their devastating affect on the villages, towns, and areas they pass through.
It has been years since I have read a historical work that was so precise yet raw in its reporting. This book is a must read.
March 9, 2023
This is a historical account of the famous Long March, one of the cornerstones of China's Communist Party (CCP) and its foundation myth. It is written by Sun Shuyun, who was born and studied in China, later winning a scholarship to Oxford and producing documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. As such her position isn’t openly critical of CCP, but like historians of the late USSR, she busts small myths but avoids a general critique.
As can be read in any major source, e.g. English Wiki “was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP/KMT). Strictly speaking, the Long March was a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south escaped to the north and west. However, the most famous began in the Jiangxi province in October 1934 and ended in the Shaanxi province in October 1935.
The Long March began the ascent to power of Mao Zedong, whose leadership during the retreat gained him the support of the members of the party.”
The book provides a detailed account of the Long March, including a lot of witness accounts, which are the strongest points of the book. Focusing on the human stories allows to show the truth behind the Long March, while formally not taking sides.
For example, as with many popular movements their later history (if the movements won and wrote their history) the official narrative stresses popular support and volunteering / sacrifice by ordinary people. Thus on one hand she shows a story of Woman Wang, one moment a poor country girl; the next a member of the supreme body which governed the Soviet, a massive upward movement for which she is grateful. She was told to go to Gangxi County, which had repeatedly failed to reach its target in recruiting. She walked from village to village, and what she saw shocked her. The villages were almost haunted, with little sign of life and very few young men around; some were simply abandoned, with the peasants having fled to the areas controlled by Chiang’s (i.e. KMT) government. When she went up to an old man in the field for a chat, he yelled at her: “You are draining the pond to catch the fish. But you don’t understand, there are no fish left in the pond!”
This lack of voluntary recruits led to force-ganging able men, which usually not told in the official history. In their drive to reach the targets, local officials often resorted to extreme measures. Shengli County insisted that all Party officials join up. Overnight many fled to the mountains—some even committed suicide—and there was absolute chaos. In the worst areas of Ruijin, those who refused to join the army were locked in dark rooms with their hands tied behind their backs. And no food was served to them—the soldiers at the front were more deserving. Wang’s department received any number of letters from the village women’s associations, complaining about the rough way their men had been treated. One letter read: “The Party secretary said there was a meeting in the village hall to discuss land issues. Many people turned up. Suddenly two men locked the door. ‘Sign up for the Red Army, or no one can leave.’
To get support of the poor, assets of rich were confiscated, and if there are no rich, they are assigned: The landlords there were poorer than many of the poor villagers in my hometown,” Chen recalled in disbelief. “But they were better off than the rest. So we had to target them. Someone had to pay for the Revolution. How else could we survive?”
In desperation, they grabbed anything they could find. She could never forget the expression on an old woman’s face when she and a comrade tried to snatch a sack of corn flour from her, probably the only food in her house. She held on to it fiercely, begging them to leave it for her four children. Her comrade shot the woman.
Historical research in the book is rigorous, the author challenges less important the myths and legends that have grown up around the Long March over the years. For example, she looks in detail at the earliest purge of the CCP, namely ‘the Anti-Bolshevik clique’, which led e.g. The Party chief in He’s base executed 90% of the officers in the 2nd Corps above company level as Nationalist spies. But the purges did not stop even when the 2nd Corps was on the run, and the way they got rid of the suspects, mostly officers who had survived earlier purges, was particularly cruel. They were put in death squads for the toughest and the riskiest battles, with only three bullets apiece. Those who died—more than half of them—would be replaced by new suspects for the next battle, but the survivors still were not to be trusted. “The reactionaries were only brave because they wanted to deceive the party so that they could carry on their activities,” By the time the 2nd Corps reached Guizhou, barely 3,000 men were left of the original 30,000, and there were only five Party members.
A great collection of witness accounts!
As can be read in any major source, e.g. English Wiki “was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP/KMT). Strictly speaking, the Long March was a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south escaped to the north and west. However, the most famous began in the Jiangxi province in October 1934 and ended in the Shaanxi province in October 1935.
The Long March began the ascent to power of Mao Zedong, whose leadership during the retreat gained him the support of the members of the party.”
The book provides a detailed account of the Long March, including a lot of witness accounts, which are the strongest points of the book. Focusing on the human stories allows to show the truth behind the Long March, while formally not taking sides.
For example, as with many popular movements their later history (if the movements won and wrote their history) the official narrative stresses popular support and volunteering / sacrifice by ordinary people. Thus on one hand she shows a story of Woman Wang, one moment a poor country girl; the next a member of the supreme body which governed the Soviet, a massive upward movement for which she is grateful. She was told to go to Gangxi County, which had repeatedly failed to reach its target in recruiting. She walked from village to village, and what she saw shocked her. The villages were almost haunted, with little sign of life and very few young men around; some were simply abandoned, with the peasants having fled to the areas controlled by Chiang’s (i.e. KMT) government. When she went up to an old man in the field for a chat, he yelled at her: “You are draining the pond to catch the fish. But you don’t understand, there are no fish left in the pond!”
This lack of voluntary recruits led to force-ganging able men, which usually not told in the official history. In their drive to reach the targets, local officials often resorted to extreme measures. Shengli County insisted that all Party officials join up. Overnight many fled to the mountains—some even committed suicide—and there was absolute chaos. In the worst areas of Ruijin, those who refused to join the army were locked in dark rooms with their hands tied behind their backs. And no food was served to them—the soldiers at the front were more deserving. Wang’s department received any number of letters from the village women’s associations, complaining about the rough way their men had been treated. One letter read: “The Party secretary said there was a meeting in the village hall to discuss land issues. Many people turned up. Suddenly two men locked the door. ‘Sign up for the Red Army, or no one can leave.’
To get support of the poor, assets of rich were confiscated, and if there are no rich, they are assigned: The landlords there were poorer than many of the poor villagers in my hometown,” Chen recalled in disbelief. “But they were better off than the rest. So we had to target them. Someone had to pay for the Revolution. How else could we survive?”
In desperation, they grabbed anything they could find. She could never forget the expression on an old woman’s face when she and a comrade tried to snatch a sack of corn flour from her, probably the only food in her house. She held on to it fiercely, begging them to leave it for her four children. Her comrade shot the woman.
Historical research in the book is rigorous, the author challenges less important the myths and legends that have grown up around the Long March over the years. For example, she looks in detail at the earliest purge of the CCP, namely ‘the Anti-Bolshevik clique’, which led e.g. The Party chief in He’s base executed 90% of the officers in the 2nd Corps above company level as Nationalist spies. But the purges did not stop even when the 2nd Corps was on the run, and the way they got rid of the suspects, mostly officers who had survived earlier purges, was particularly cruel. They were put in death squads for the toughest and the riskiest battles, with only three bullets apiece. Those who died—more than half of them—would be replaced by new suspects for the next battle, but the survivors still were not to be trusted. “The reactionaries were only brave because they wanted to deceive the party so that they could carry on their activities,” By the time the 2nd Corps reached Guizhou, barely 3,000 men were left of the original 30,000, and there were only five Party members.
A great collection of witness accounts!
January 5, 2025
Half oral history, half "following in the footsteps of" travelogue, this book is an invaluable addition to both genres, and is essential reading for anyone who's read either Harrison Salisbury's The Long March or Edgar Snow's classic (but hagiographic) Red Star Over China.
That said, this is just one long, horrific story. The goal of the Communists and their struggle against both the Nationalists and then the Japanese is a whole topic unto itself, but descending from the "30,000 foot view" to the plodding footstep-by-footstep POV of those common (and mainly peasant) soldiers who participated in the March was an eye-opening and heart-wrenching experience. From the frozen Jiajin mountains to the endless grasslands of Tibet to the baked deserts of Gansu, this is just an incredible story of survival against both man and nature — for those few who actually survived. And note I didn't say "lucky few;" because as shown here, surviving the Long March was just the beginning of hardship for most of these folks, who then went on to suffer further personal "long marches" of poverty and neglect when the Party they'd sacrificed everything for failed to fulfill their promises — a pension, land, basic human freedoms — before then being condemned and abused as traitors and worse during the Cultural Revolution.
Above the rank of these remarkable and genuinely heroic foot soldiers, however, no one comes off good here. While the Communist leaders claimed to support "the people," they always put ideology and their own survival first, (a sad fact that continues to this day, as can easily be seen in China's current treatment of its COVID victims in Shanghai, as well as the sadly inexorable destruction of Hong Kong). This included — but was by no means limited to — the early purges of their own colleagues, which at the time killed far more Communists than the Nationalists ever had; as well as the book's whole last section on the loss of "the Western Legion," which is basically the story of Mao's willingness to sacrifice an entire 40,000-man (and woman) army just to rid himself of one potential rival — and which demonstrated just how far he was willing to go to cement his authority, as well as serves as a chilling indicator of what was to come with both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
PERSONAL — BUT PASSIONATELY HELD — FINAL OPINION: So overall, an outstanding — if brutal — 5-star book. But disappointingly, barely a 2-star listen. This is a story of CHINA, with every page full of Chinese names and places...and yet narrator Laurel Merlington somehow manages to butcher every single one of them. I've said it before, but unfortunately have to say it again — WHEN RECORDING A BOOK ABOUT CHINA, FIND A NARRATOR WHO CAN HANDLE CHINESE PRONUNCIATIONS. I'm sure there are many Asian or Asian-American actors who would love such work, and I have to believe that any readership (listenership?) for such books would appreciate — if not rightfully expect — the effort. Because as it is, results like this are just #$!@ insulting.
So definitely read the book rather than listen to it — you'll also get a very helpful map of the March, as well as excellent (and often touching) photos of the places and individuals covered in the story.
That said, this is just one long, horrific story. The goal of the Communists and their struggle against both the Nationalists and then the Japanese is a whole topic unto itself, but descending from the "30,000 foot view" to the plodding footstep-by-footstep POV of those common (and mainly peasant) soldiers who participated in the March was an eye-opening and heart-wrenching experience. From the frozen Jiajin mountains to the endless grasslands of Tibet to the baked deserts of Gansu, this is just an incredible story of survival against both man and nature — for those few who actually survived. And note I didn't say "lucky few;" because as shown here, surviving the Long March was just the beginning of hardship for most of these folks, who then went on to suffer further personal "long marches" of poverty and neglect when the Party they'd sacrificed everything for failed to fulfill their promises — a pension, land, basic human freedoms — before then being condemned and abused as traitors and worse during the Cultural Revolution.
Above the rank of these remarkable and genuinely heroic foot soldiers, however, no one comes off good here. While the Communist leaders claimed to support "the people," they always put ideology and their own survival first, (a sad fact that continues to this day, as can easily be seen in China's current treatment of its COVID victims in Shanghai, as well as the sadly inexorable destruction of Hong Kong). This included — but was by no means limited to — the early purges of their own colleagues, which at the time killed far more Communists than the Nationalists ever had; as well as the book's whole last section on the loss of "the Western Legion," which is basically the story of Mao's willingness to sacrifice an entire 40,000-man (and woman) army just to rid himself of one potential rival — and which demonstrated just how far he was willing to go to cement his authority, as well as serves as a chilling indicator of what was to come with both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
PERSONAL — BUT PASSIONATELY HELD — FINAL OPINION: So overall, an outstanding — if brutal — 5-star book. But disappointingly, barely a 2-star listen. This is a story of CHINA, with every page full of Chinese names and places...and yet narrator Laurel Merlington somehow manages to butcher every single one of them. I've said it before, but unfortunately have to say it again — WHEN RECORDING A BOOK ABOUT CHINA, FIND A NARRATOR WHO CAN HANDLE CHINESE PRONUNCIATIONS. I'm sure there are many Asian or Asian-American actors who would love such work, and I have to believe that any readership (listenership?) for such books would appreciate — if not rightfully expect — the effort. Because as it is, results like this are just #$!@ insulting.
So definitely read the book rather than listen to it — you'll also get a very helpful map of the March, as well as excellent (and often touching) photos of the places and individuals covered in the story.
June 28, 2008
I'm a little more than halfway through this book, and I have to say that I vacillate between feeling as if my mind is being blown apart and being smug and saying but of course, that makes sense.
While not brought up in China and drilled in the mythology of the Long March, as an American I have been influenced by the epic idea of the event through my knowledge of having relatives who have survived it (and also survived later purges, once the government was established). However, the details were something I never bothered to look into, including which army my relative was in, etc. (He was with He-Long, in the 2nd army, I believe, based on some quick internet searches). And I knew (and had met) relatives who had been born by this relative and his wife (also a survivor of the march), who spoke Chinese with Russian accents, blah blah blah. At one point, in the early 1980s, I aspired to have an oral interview with the widow....
This book actually begins to answer some the questions I aspired to answer then, and the book is only possible now, due to the massive amount of change that has occurred-- 70 years after the event, some many years after Mao, with the rising wealth of China (in general), etc. Sun Shuyun very capably takes us on her personal, mind-opening trip. It is, in that sense, not a "typical" history; the narrative mode switches from recreation to personal reactions to actual description of interviews. Also, if you are not familiar with the locations, the players, etc., it would be helpful to create a little "cheat sheet" (similar to what one might do when reading long Russian novels, to keep the character's names, relationships and nicknames all straight).
So far, the thing that has struck me the most is the use of opium by the Chinese armies. (Again, this has been another "fact" of history that I may need to revisit: the cultivation of opium in China, blah blah.) Having recently completed Beah's recent memoir _A Long Way Gone_, regarding civil war in Sierra Leone, I am left to wonder what drugs we are using to keep our people fighting now…
Okay, now I'm done, and I am both sadden and in awe by the people who survived this historic retreat/advance, conditions that drove them to join up, the determination and commitment that kept some of them going, and the terrible conditions that existed prior to the civil war (as well as during it). The stories in the epilogue also bring to mind the uncovering/restoring of the details that still are missing, are slowing coming through from the Mao years. I also am curious, having just seen a new novel by Ma Jian regarding issues around Tian An Men; another event that will need to be revisited--in 70 years....?
Clearly still thinking about the book, as I am still adding to this review. The section on the Western campaign has really struck something deep. I've seen that part of the country about 15 years ago, and it was still desolate. How, why.... truly a death column, a death march.
While not brought up in China and drilled in the mythology of the Long March, as an American I have been influenced by the epic idea of the event through my knowledge of having relatives who have survived it (and also survived later purges, once the government was established). However, the details were something I never bothered to look into, including which army my relative was in, etc. (He was with He-Long, in the 2nd army, I believe, based on some quick internet searches). And I knew (and had met) relatives who had been born by this relative and his wife (also a survivor of the march), who spoke Chinese with Russian accents, blah blah blah. At one point, in the early 1980s, I aspired to have an oral interview with the widow....
This book actually begins to answer some the questions I aspired to answer then, and the book is only possible now, due to the massive amount of change that has occurred-- 70 years after the event, some many years after Mao, with the rising wealth of China (in general), etc. Sun Shuyun very capably takes us on her personal, mind-opening trip. It is, in that sense, not a "typical" history; the narrative mode switches from recreation to personal reactions to actual description of interviews. Also, if you are not familiar with the locations, the players, etc., it would be helpful to create a little "cheat sheet" (similar to what one might do when reading long Russian novels, to keep the character's names, relationships and nicknames all straight).
So far, the thing that has struck me the most is the use of opium by the Chinese armies. (Again, this has been another "fact" of history that I may need to revisit: the cultivation of opium in China, blah blah.) Having recently completed Beah's recent memoir _A Long Way Gone_, regarding civil war in Sierra Leone, I am left to wonder what drugs we are using to keep our people fighting now…
Okay, now I'm done, and I am both sadden and in awe by the people who survived this historic retreat/advance, conditions that drove them to join up, the determination and commitment that kept some of them going, and the terrible conditions that existed prior to the civil war (as well as during it). The stories in the epilogue also bring to mind the uncovering/restoring of the details that still are missing, are slowing coming through from the Mao years. I also am curious, having just seen a new novel by Ma Jian regarding issues around Tian An Men; another event that will need to be revisited--in 70 years....?
Clearly still thinking about the book, as I am still adding to this review. The section on the Western campaign has really struck something deep. I've seen that part of the country about 15 years ago, and it was still desolate. How, why.... truly a death column, a death march.
October 1, 2025
Women were used by Mao's Red Army to recruit new members for the Soviet Communist Army within China. They were accepted into the party as members for the express purpose of gaining new members for the Army. Quite often the women would get married, entice their husbands to join the army. When inducted and sent to the front and into war, after a period of time and the wives no longer heard from their husbands, they would divorce them and remarry. And the debacle would occur time and again to a point at which the Soviet Communist Army passed a law that forbade a woman to marry and divorce no more than three times in a year's period. This occurred because the women would go off to have sex with other men and have illegitimate children. The lies that were perpetrated in the name of nationalism was phenomenal, sadly it is occurring by every nation on earth, to some degree. The required recruitment was upwards of 45 men and the failure to attain your recruitment goal could be death for failing the cause.
March 25, 2021
Should be called the long, long, long march as the book goes on in excruciating detail. More than anyone besides a Communist Party official or historian needs to know.
Sun Shuyen did an extensive amount of research, retracing the sites and interviewing locals who witnessed or helped the march. That much is clear. What’s also clear is that the author wanted to make sure us readers heard it all. Every bit.
I went to this book after reading “Eat the Buddha: Life and Death of a Tibetan Town” by Barbara Demick. She writes about the town Ngaba and the Buddhist struggles under communism. Turns out the Red Army went through Ngaba twice during their Long March.
I thought it be interesting to know more about that march. Got 20% of the way into the book last January. It’s sat on my shelf since but I now know I won’t open it again.
An abridged version would be better. Wikipedia might be sufficient for most of us.
Sun Shuyen did an extensive amount of research, retracing the sites and interviewing locals who witnessed or helped the march. That much is clear. What’s also clear is that the author wanted to make sure us readers heard it all. Every bit.
I went to this book after reading “Eat the Buddha: Life and Death of a Tibetan Town” by Barbara Demick. She writes about the town Ngaba and the Buddhist struggles under communism. Turns out the Red Army went through Ngaba twice during their Long March.
I thought it be interesting to know more about that march. Got 20% of the way into the book last January. It’s sat on my shelf since but I now know I won’t open it again.
An abridged version would be better. Wikipedia might be sufficient for most of us.
May 20, 2012
I think most people knew that most of what Mao said was a lie,
but it's nice that a Chinese person can write a book about that today.
I wish there'd been more photos of the route,
the image of the road out of Zunyi is nice,
but most photos are of 90 year old women.
Hard to believe, looking at the photos,
that they could get a young man to enlist in the Red army
by giving him a roll in the hay.
Mao was a dirty dog from start to finish,
it was China's sorrow that he became its leader.
but it's nice that a Chinese person can write a book about that today.
I wish there'd been more photos of the route,
the image of the road out of Zunyi is nice,
but most photos are of 90 year old women.
Hard to believe, looking at the photos,
that they could get a young man to enlist in the Red army
by giving him a roll in the hay.
Mao was a dirty dog from start to finish,
it was China's sorrow that he became its leader.
January 5, 2025
This was the true story of the long march with the perfect balance of first person historical narrative, present-day narration, and historical context that gives a sense of how this military campaign compared to others. So much of the idealism and mysticism is stripped away and the cynicism and opportunism as well as foresight of a lot of the founding members of the CCP become clear. Mao was originally exiled and essentially quarantined for acting as the tyrant he would come to be known as, and those same generals who tried to contain him, Peng Dehuai and Liu Shaoqi, were eventually purged. This books prompts such interesting what-if questions, such as what if Mao had been contained? What would be the present day state of China and would the famines and cultural revolution have been completely avoided or was another civil war inevitable? Aside from that the women’s liberation stories were interesting and did show the principled nature of a lot of the early communists regardless of gender
December 23, 2025
I didn’t really know much about The Long March prior to reading this book. It was an interesting take on the story as the author approached survivors for their personal accounts.
Interesting read.
Interesting read.
January 5, 2022
This is a fair read. It's a bit unusual in that the author makes herself a participant in the narrative. She writes competently and was dedicated to presenting the stories associated with the long march. Having to travel by train and bus for hours at a time is not easy. However. the book focuses more on the experiences of the survivors and not so much on statistics and detached investigative reporting.
November 22, 2019
The author approaches the subject matter and her interviewees with respect. She is not out to do a hatchet job of debunking the Long March per se or the idealism of the marchers. That China would even let her in to talk to these people, and speak so candidly about the buttside of the PRC's founding mythos, perhaps reflects how little meaning the Long March now has for China's current rulers.
That the Long March contained examples of tragedy with its triumph, wanton callousness striding beside the highest ideals, should not come as any great revelation to those who study human history. There are no survivors of other long marches to interview - like the Hebrews Moses led through the wilderness from Egypt - but if there had been a contemporary historian looking up surviving marchers he would have doubtless found such recriminating memories there as well, calling into question the myth and romance of the whole thing, the quality of the "Promised Land" as delivered, and the Prophet's alleged divinity of inspiration. There is always a "man behind the curtain" when one comes before the Great Oz, so our anti-Communist debunkers really have little to gloat about here.
A more fascinating project, I think, would have been to focus on what the Long Marchers made of China as it evolved afterward. Did they still identify with the movement after the Great Leap forward and the Cultural Revolution, seeing these as fulfillment or betrayal of their hopes? And what would they make of the era of Chairman Sam, as Walmart merges Mao with Mammon? In such opinions might come some vision for the Chinese people today, as they flounder in a mindless dead-end disguised as "reform" and "development."
This book covers old terrain but does a good job taking the reader down overgrown side trails and unearthing those little mounds beyond the historical markers. Perhaps its greatest service is to portray an allegory of life itself: we can't know our final destination in our own Long March, and the best we can do is look to the horizon and hold on along the way.
That the Long March contained examples of tragedy with its triumph, wanton callousness striding beside the highest ideals, should not come as any great revelation to those who study human history. There are no survivors of other long marches to interview - like the Hebrews Moses led through the wilderness from Egypt - but if there had been a contemporary historian looking up surviving marchers he would have doubtless found such recriminating memories there as well, calling into question the myth and romance of the whole thing, the quality of the "Promised Land" as delivered, and the Prophet's alleged divinity of inspiration. There is always a "man behind the curtain" when one comes before the Great Oz, so our anti-Communist debunkers really have little to gloat about here.
A more fascinating project, I think, would have been to focus on what the Long Marchers made of China as it evolved afterward. Did they still identify with the movement after the Great Leap forward and the Cultural Revolution, seeing these as fulfillment or betrayal of their hopes? And what would they make of the era of Chairman Sam, as Walmart merges Mao with Mammon? In such opinions might come some vision for the Chinese people today, as they flounder in a mindless dead-end disguised as "reform" and "development."
This book covers old terrain but does a good job taking the reader down overgrown side trails and unearthing those little mounds beyond the historical markers. Perhaps its greatest service is to portray an allegory of life itself: we can't know our final destination in our own Long March, and the best we can do is look to the horizon and hold on along the way.
November 26, 2011
You feel the passion of this author as she describes the events of the Long March from research and most powerfully from veterans that she'd tracked down.
It leaves you with the feeling that people's personal stories shaped the opinions of the author. It wasn't that the author had an agenda to defend or attack the Long March. In fact, she admires many of the people for what they survived through.
It also helps the reader understand why Chinese people can be so blinkered about their history. In secondary school they're not taught to look at sources or see how what we know about history is fashioned by the authors. She often reflects on the constant teaching she received as a child about how glorious the whole event was.
It helps the non-Chinese reader appreciate the power of stories like the Long March on young Chinese minds - and the lifelong impression they're left with thereafter.
You can't help but be moved by the stories. It was an extreme time - extreme events unfolded.
She looks at peoples lives and she get's to know them. She helps the reader understand the situations people were living in and the choices they made. Who knows what choices we would make in similar situations. It's a terrifying question.
This book will encourage understanding. It will be food for thought for Chinese who see the Long March through rose coloured glasses and it'll silence non-Chinese in their blanket criticism.
When are the stories of people's actions during a war ever black and white?
If you want to sit back and listen to the voices of people who went through the Long March, and if you want to understand why so many Chinese people see an event like this so differently to how non-Chinese people see it then read this book.
It leaves you with the feeling that people's personal stories shaped the opinions of the author. It wasn't that the author had an agenda to defend or attack the Long March. In fact, she admires many of the people for what they survived through.
It also helps the reader understand why Chinese people can be so blinkered about their history. In secondary school they're not taught to look at sources or see how what we know about history is fashioned by the authors. She often reflects on the constant teaching she received as a child about how glorious the whole event was.
It helps the non-Chinese reader appreciate the power of stories like the Long March on young Chinese minds - and the lifelong impression they're left with thereafter.
You can't help but be moved by the stories. It was an extreme time - extreme events unfolded.
She looks at peoples lives and she get's to know them. She helps the reader understand the situations people were living in and the choices they made. Who knows what choices we would make in similar situations. It's a terrifying question.
This book will encourage understanding. It will be food for thought for Chinese who see the Long March through rose coloured glasses and it'll silence non-Chinese in their blanket criticism.
When are the stories of people's actions during a war ever black and white?
If you want to sit back and listen to the voices of people who went through the Long March, and if you want to understand why so many Chinese people see an event like this so differently to how non-Chinese people see it then read this book.
June 9, 2013
The author retraces the route of the Red Army’s Long March in the 1930’s, visiting the towns, museums or memorials, and interviewing any of the survivors of the Long March that she can find (Her trip took place on the 70th anniversary of the Long March). She has done a lot of research on the Long March and on this period of history and quotes or provides relevant information from contemporary sources, new scholarship, and basic sources such as Edgar Snow or Harrison Salisbury. She discusses the changing political climate that is beginning to allow a critical look at the Long March.
Although I have read a good bit about China, I have never really read much about the Long March – it tends to come up in nearly every book, but in an iconic or mythical way. Shuyun’s book was very interesting and even exciting. She interviewed a number of women who had been on the Long March and the role of women in the Red Army is a major theme of the book. One favorite piece was the discussion of the better survival of the woman on the Long March. An old woman told her that this may have been because women knew that they needed to have the “4 Essentials” or “4 Treasures”: a wash basin, a stick, animal skins, and a needle. I loved this list because I am frequently chided for not having the “10 essentials for hiking.”
I wish I had read this rather than listened to the CD. The many Chinese names were confusing to hear and I think I would have done better visually. Also, I needed a map and am giving the author credit for having one in the book. I would also like to see if the book has a list of references.
Although I have read a good bit about China, I have never really read much about the Long March – it tends to come up in nearly every book, but in an iconic or mythical way. Shuyun’s book was very interesting and even exciting. She interviewed a number of women who had been on the Long March and the role of women in the Red Army is a major theme of the book. One favorite piece was the discussion of the better survival of the woman on the Long March. An old woman told her that this may have been because women knew that they needed to have the “4 Essentials” or “4 Treasures”: a wash basin, a stick, animal skins, and a needle. I loved this list because I am frequently chided for not having the “10 essentials for hiking.”
I wish I had read this rather than listened to the CD. The many Chinese names were confusing to hear and I think I would have done better visually. Also, I needed a map and am giving the author credit for having one in the book. I would also like to see if the book has a list of references.
September 5, 2012
Sun Shuyun, who roughly retraced the route of the Long March has written an excellent alternative history of the Long March. It really cuts through the myths of the Long March and tells a human story of the survivors who made the heroic journey. The book also tells a bit of the story of the 2nd, 6th, and 4th armies rather than focusing exclusively on the 1st and the third army like most accounts usually do. The book also sheds light on what became of Zhang Guotao's 4th Army after they went west to receive a cache of Soviet aid and were torn to pieces by the Xi Bei San Ma. For anyone who's read the official history of the Long March, this is a valuable counterpoint that dispels some of the too-good-to-be-true official account.
December 1, 2016
Unless you go into this thinking The East is Red is a documentary, it doesn't really reveal anything new. Yeah, people romanticise their history, the people on the Long March were just ordinary people with flaws who were pushed to heroic feats by the circumstances they found themselves in. This shouldn't be news to anybody.
Not even good as anti-communist propaganda since you still come away thinking "Wow, those people were pretty amazing. Mao clearly made the best of a really bad situation."
Not even good as anti-communist propaganda since you still come away thinking "Wow, those people were pretty amazing. Mao clearly made the best of a really bad situation."
November 11, 2007
The author journeys throughout China retracing the long march route. She interviews surviving veterans and their relatives and friends, acting surprised - over and over again - that the official Chinese government history of the Long March differs from reality. The bit gets quite irritating. Otherwise, it's an ok history of the long march. The surprised tone probably works a lot better for a Chinese audience. I'd recommend to somebody interested in how history is written - or re-written.
December 9, 2025
Sun Shuyun’s oral history “The Long March” examines the Red Army’s 1934-36 retreat from Jiangxi to Shaanzi through interviews with aged veterans about their struggles against the Nationalists, the Nature and each other as she retraces the two-year, the 6,000 to 8,000-mile trek that became the founding myth of Mao’s regime.
The mythic stature of the Long March is mildly criticized by the author who is aware of much of the revisionist assessments of the events in question but is cautious in her analysis. Throughout her text, she recites songs she learned in school, stories of Mao hagiography, and refers to party endorsed films, such as the glorification of the Luding Bridge battle; an incident which is most likely a fabrication- there were no Nationalist troops at the bridge, only a skirmish with few casualties.
In 2004, 70 years after the Long March began, Sun Shuyun decided to follow in the Marchers’ footsteps. Traveling by car, bus, train, and on foot, she found survivors whose stories deserved to be recorded. Much of the historical myth is now promoted by travel agents, museum curators, and party apparatchiks.
Mao’s much touted military genius is dubious. The Long March was third longer than was necessary as Mao dragged the Red Army around Guizhou prior to the Zunyi Conference and then in a circuitous route near the Soviet border. Ultimately, Mao’s army suffered enormous casualties. Mao's role in the March is often exaggerated. It has been claimed that he walked the entire distance; however, he was carried by porters while reading.
While many Red Army volunteers were idealists, the Red Army employed press gangs to recruit troops. Sun Shuyun interviewed one man who said he was barely into his teens when he was forced to join the Red Army and he only did so because his father was arrested and would not be released until the man agreed to join the army. The man thought of deserting but stayed on because he feared being caught and executed.
Mao relied on propaganda, pilfering and politicide to maintain order in his columns. Disloyalty or desertion meant death in a force that traveled in fear of vicious purges. Shuyun’s participant accounts of portions of the journey are juxtaposed with her visits to the sites today. Disturbingly, most of the Marchers she interviewed were purged by the CCP during their lifetimes, despite the fortitude they displayed. Most of the soldiers suffered from malnutrition, disease, frostbite and wounds as they crossed eleven provinces. The Marchers were forced to survive the elements, their enemies and their leaders. China has not yet to come to terms with Mao, a ruthless and astute politician, responsible for approximately 50 million Chinese deaths.
The mythic stature of the Long March is mildly criticized by the author who is aware of much of the revisionist assessments of the events in question but is cautious in her analysis. Throughout her text, she recites songs she learned in school, stories of Mao hagiography, and refers to party endorsed films, such as the glorification of the Luding Bridge battle; an incident which is most likely a fabrication- there were no Nationalist troops at the bridge, only a skirmish with few casualties.
In 2004, 70 years after the Long March began, Sun Shuyun decided to follow in the Marchers’ footsteps. Traveling by car, bus, train, and on foot, she found survivors whose stories deserved to be recorded. Much of the historical myth is now promoted by travel agents, museum curators, and party apparatchiks.
Mao’s much touted military genius is dubious. The Long March was third longer than was necessary as Mao dragged the Red Army around Guizhou prior to the Zunyi Conference and then in a circuitous route near the Soviet border. Ultimately, Mao’s army suffered enormous casualties. Mao's role in the March is often exaggerated. It has been claimed that he walked the entire distance; however, he was carried by porters while reading.
While many Red Army volunteers were idealists, the Red Army employed press gangs to recruit troops. Sun Shuyun interviewed one man who said he was barely into his teens when he was forced to join the Red Army and he only did so because his father was arrested and would not be released until the man agreed to join the army. The man thought of deserting but stayed on because he feared being caught and executed.
Mao relied on propaganda, pilfering and politicide to maintain order in his columns. Disloyalty or desertion meant death in a force that traveled in fear of vicious purges. Shuyun’s participant accounts of portions of the journey are juxtaposed with her visits to the sites today. Disturbingly, most of the Marchers she interviewed were purged by the CCP during their lifetimes, despite the fortitude they displayed. Most of the soldiers suffered from malnutrition, disease, frostbite and wounds as they crossed eleven provinces. The Marchers were forced to survive the elements, their enemies and their leaders. China has not yet to come to terms with Mao, a ruthless and astute politician, responsible for approximately 50 million Chinese deaths.
June 6, 2011
Exodus
In 1934 some 200,000 communists were driven out of their bases in Jiangxi in the south of China by Chiang Kai-shek. Mao steered them like a Chinese Moses on a course from victory to victory. After two years of incredible endurance, courage, and hope against impossible odds – and a march of 8,000 miles – the Red Armies reached the barren Yellow Plateau of northwestern China. From there on they would need another decade to launch the new China. Enshrined for the nation in musical extravaganzas like The East Is Red and feature films of battles, the Long March and its idealism, optimism, and heroism remain the enduring emblem of China and the regime today.
In her book Sun Shuyun shows that this emblem does not really match reality. In 2004 she followed the traces of the Long March from the former Soviet of Ruijun all the way to Shaanxi and Gansu where the Fourth Army found its Waterloo against the superior Ma. In all areas she managed to find one or more of the remaining 500 survivors of the march, as well as local historians of the Long March. Both the survivors and the historians candidly deny the spin. E.g. the conquest of the Luding Bridge over the Dadu River was a much simpler affair than the famous propaganda movie suggested. It was not defended by a regiment, but only by a few men with guns that could only shoot a few yards. The local warlord was on bad terms with Chiang’s nationalists and did not mind the Red Army to move northward.
This does not mean that Ms. Sun is not very much impressed by the incredible suffering that the Red Army had to endure. The Long March she describes was a baffling Darwinian selection process of physical hardship, starvation, battles, and purges. Still, or consequently, many of the remaining soldiers were purged in the Cultural Revolution. Those alive in 2005 often received only a percentage of the promised pensions.
Between 1930 and 1934, Chiang's nationalists lost over 100,000 men fighting the communists in Jiangxi between Fujian and Guangdong. Force had to be used to convince the locals to join the fighting. Given the Chinese belief that a good man is not destined for the army, just like good iron is not for nails, most of the communist soldiers were young farmers. Able men were first recruited, but then they took the old, sick, opium addicts and the young. Disabled men became popular as husbands, because they would not be sent to the front. Personal happiness and physical desire did not count for the true believers: such feelings were submerged in the excitement for the revolution. This did not apply to everybody. Women would often not see their husbands for years and start sleeping around. The communists had freed women and allowed divorce. This often led to the unintended consequence of multiple marriages and divorces, just like unbound feet were often bound again later.
A lack of training accounted for 50% of the Red Army's casualties. Arms and ammunition were equally bad. Soldiers received five bullets for a battle. The Red Army had to supply itself with what it could conquer from the Nationalists. Up to nearly 50% of the soldiers deserted. Although the base in Ruijun was created by Mao, he was not really appreciated by the Party, and Stalin’s Comintern sent the German Otto Braun to lead the force. In Ruijin, Mao was already conducting purges that included the torture and the execution of thousands of men. Some 20,000 got killed even before this became a habit in Stalin's Soviet Union. Land hardly enough to feed a family of five could make you a landlord:
Purges seemed to have entered the Communists' bloodstream as an expression of their cardinal principle - class struggle.
The communists wanted to keep the people on their toes by constant campaigns:
”People lived in fear and that was what they wanted”
Braun’s strategy did not work, but warlords in the neighbouring provinces that were equally hostile to Chiang helped the Red Army escape. Mao had to leave his second child behind and would never see it again. The army moved at the pace of "an emperor's sedan chair". Its central column consisted of over 4,000 staff. Overall, 86,000 were on the move, usually at night to avoid enemy planes. Defections remained a constant problem during the Long March. The Xiang River Battle celebrated by Chinese propaganda as the March’s major battle has some 30,000 people unaccounted for; expectedly most of them deserted. Rich people were taken hostage for ransom, and killed in front of the troops if no ransom materialised. Wounded soldiers were left behind with a few silver dollars in the villages along the way. Medicine was lacking: enough cloth, simple injections like quinine or even salt to disinfect wounds could have saved many lives. Opium was the only thing always available. Theatre was used to impress poor peasants that rarely saw any entertainment besides the Lunar New Year fortnight.
In Zunyi in Guizhou, Mao managed to get to get into the Politburo again. The pleasure must have been greatly reduced by the need to leave his third new-born child behind in the care of an opium addicted woman when the army finally dashed into Sichuan. In Sichuan Braun was demoted. The Fourth Army based in the west of Sichuan travelled towards Mao's columns, but Mao split again soon. His troops travelled on through the Tibetan grasslands, the worst part of the march. The Tibetan "barbarians" had all fled and there was no food, the weather was terrible, and the swamps dangerous. Women stopped menstruating, in quite a few cases for good. When they tried to sack monasteries the monks would shoot back.
When they reached the Soviet in Shaanxi, they were only 4,000 people left. Here Ms. Sun meets a TV-crew shooting a documentary about the Long March, which knowingly omits many facts that go against the old propaganda. It was in Shaanxi that Mao rallied his troops with a speech where the Long March was named. The escape from the south was turned into a preparation to fight the Japanese. As a master of propaganda Mao invited Edgar Snow for a visit full of privileges that led to his famous Red Star over China, the book that altered the world's view of the communists.
Zhang Xueliang, a regional warlord keener on a united fight against the Japanese, supported the communists with Nationalist supplies. He also managed to capture Chiang Kai-shek against the wishes of Stalin, and negotiated an anti-Japanese coalition with the nationalist leader. The Long March was over for the core troops, but Ms. Sun dedicates another chapter to the plight of the Fourth Army. It was rechristened into the Western Army and sent to Gansu to fight the Muslim Ma, causing the death of another 20,000 men and women.
In 1934 some 200,000 communists were driven out of their bases in Jiangxi in the south of China by Chiang Kai-shek. Mao steered them like a Chinese Moses on a course from victory to victory. After two years of incredible endurance, courage, and hope against impossible odds – and a march of 8,000 miles – the Red Armies reached the barren Yellow Plateau of northwestern China. From there on they would need another decade to launch the new China. Enshrined for the nation in musical extravaganzas like The East Is Red and feature films of battles, the Long March and its idealism, optimism, and heroism remain the enduring emblem of China and the regime today.
In her book Sun Shuyun shows that this emblem does not really match reality. In 2004 she followed the traces of the Long March from the former Soviet of Ruijun all the way to Shaanxi and Gansu where the Fourth Army found its Waterloo against the superior Ma. In all areas she managed to find one or more of the remaining 500 survivors of the march, as well as local historians of the Long March. Both the survivors and the historians candidly deny the spin. E.g. the conquest of the Luding Bridge over the Dadu River was a much simpler affair than the famous propaganda movie suggested. It was not defended by a regiment, but only by a few men with guns that could only shoot a few yards. The local warlord was on bad terms with Chiang’s nationalists and did not mind the Red Army to move northward.
This does not mean that Ms. Sun is not very much impressed by the incredible suffering that the Red Army had to endure. The Long March she describes was a baffling Darwinian selection process of physical hardship, starvation, battles, and purges. Still, or consequently, many of the remaining soldiers were purged in the Cultural Revolution. Those alive in 2005 often received only a percentage of the promised pensions.
Between 1930 and 1934, Chiang's nationalists lost over 100,000 men fighting the communists in Jiangxi between Fujian and Guangdong. Force had to be used to convince the locals to join the fighting. Given the Chinese belief that a good man is not destined for the army, just like good iron is not for nails, most of the communist soldiers were young farmers. Able men were first recruited, but then they took the old, sick, opium addicts and the young. Disabled men became popular as husbands, because they would not be sent to the front. Personal happiness and physical desire did not count for the true believers: such feelings were submerged in the excitement for the revolution. This did not apply to everybody. Women would often not see their husbands for years and start sleeping around. The communists had freed women and allowed divorce. This often led to the unintended consequence of multiple marriages and divorces, just like unbound feet were often bound again later.
A lack of training accounted for 50% of the Red Army's casualties. Arms and ammunition were equally bad. Soldiers received five bullets for a battle. The Red Army had to supply itself with what it could conquer from the Nationalists. Up to nearly 50% of the soldiers deserted. Although the base in Ruijun was created by Mao, he was not really appreciated by the Party, and Stalin’s Comintern sent the German Otto Braun to lead the force. In Ruijin, Mao was already conducting purges that included the torture and the execution of thousands of men. Some 20,000 got killed even before this became a habit in Stalin's Soviet Union. Land hardly enough to feed a family of five could make you a landlord:
Purges seemed to have entered the Communists' bloodstream as an expression of their cardinal principle - class struggle.
The communists wanted to keep the people on their toes by constant campaigns:
”People lived in fear and that was what they wanted”
Braun’s strategy did not work, but warlords in the neighbouring provinces that were equally hostile to Chiang helped the Red Army escape. Mao had to leave his second child behind and would never see it again. The army moved at the pace of "an emperor's sedan chair". Its central column consisted of over 4,000 staff. Overall, 86,000 were on the move, usually at night to avoid enemy planes. Defections remained a constant problem during the Long March. The Xiang River Battle celebrated by Chinese propaganda as the March’s major battle has some 30,000 people unaccounted for; expectedly most of them deserted. Rich people were taken hostage for ransom, and killed in front of the troops if no ransom materialised. Wounded soldiers were left behind with a few silver dollars in the villages along the way. Medicine was lacking: enough cloth, simple injections like quinine or even salt to disinfect wounds could have saved many lives. Opium was the only thing always available. Theatre was used to impress poor peasants that rarely saw any entertainment besides the Lunar New Year fortnight.
In Zunyi in Guizhou, Mao managed to get to get into the Politburo again. The pleasure must have been greatly reduced by the need to leave his third new-born child behind in the care of an opium addicted woman when the army finally dashed into Sichuan. In Sichuan Braun was demoted. The Fourth Army based in the west of Sichuan travelled towards Mao's columns, but Mao split again soon. His troops travelled on through the Tibetan grasslands, the worst part of the march. The Tibetan "barbarians" had all fled and there was no food, the weather was terrible, and the swamps dangerous. Women stopped menstruating, in quite a few cases for good. When they tried to sack monasteries the monks would shoot back.
When they reached the Soviet in Shaanxi, they were only 4,000 people left. Here Ms. Sun meets a TV-crew shooting a documentary about the Long March, which knowingly omits many facts that go against the old propaganda. It was in Shaanxi that Mao rallied his troops with a speech where the Long March was named. The escape from the south was turned into a preparation to fight the Japanese. As a master of propaganda Mao invited Edgar Snow for a visit full of privileges that led to his famous Red Star over China, the book that altered the world's view of the communists.
Zhang Xueliang, a regional warlord keener on a united fight against the Japanese, supported the communists with Nationalist supplies. He also managed to capture Chiang Kai-shek against the wishes of Stalin, and negotiated an anti-Japanese coalition with the nationalist leader. The Long March was over for the core troops, but Ms. Sun dedicates another chapter to the plight of the Fourth Army. It was rechristened into the Western Army and sent to Gansu to fight the Muslim Ma, causing the death of another 20,000 men and women.
January 31, 2022
Sun Shuyun was a panelist on a pretty good episode of the BBC In Our Time podcast about the Long March.
For further reading,, Sun Shuyun, recommends Rudolf Bosshardt's The Restraining Hand. He was a kidnapped priest who was taken on the march for 560 days. She considers his account "the most complete and truthful report".
Official histories of the Long March have an Arthurian level of legend exaggeration. (Look up any account of the battle of Luding Bridge.) Sun Shuyun's book respectfully interviews the few living Long March veterans, all in their 80s by 2000.
The war veterans we catch up with in this book speak plenty about village pillage and the teen soldiers deserting. Shuyun softens these contradictions to the party line, saying that despite the reality not living up to the gloss and hyperbole of the official account, there is no denying the physical achievement for any people who were part of this crazy time for the Red Army.
Shuyun had to go down some pretty remote dirt roads to find these interviewees. As readers we get lots of rural color. Without dwelling too much on the travelogue part we still are thrilled to stand with the author on someplace like the mainstreet of Shiqian in Guizhou. ("It was one of the best preserved old towns I visited." p.88)
For further reading,, Sun Shuyun, recommends Rudolf Bosshardt's The Restraining Hand. He was a kidnapped priest who was taken on the march for 560 days. She considers his account "the most complete and truthful report".
Official histories of the Long March have an Arthurian level of legend exaggeration. (Look up any account of the battle of Luding Bridge.) Sun Shuyun's book respectfully interviews the few living Long March veterans, all in their 80s by 2000.
The war veterans we catch up with in this book speak plenty about village pillage and the teen soldiers deserting. Shuyun softens these contradictions to the party line, saying that despite the reality not living up to the gloss and hyperbole of the official account, there is no denying the physical achievement for any people who were part of this crazy time for the Red Army.
Shuyun had to go down some pretty remote dirt roads to find these interviewees. As readers we get lots of rural color. Without dwelling too much on the travelogue part we still are thrilled to stand with the author on someplace like the mainstreet of Shiqian in Guizhou. ("It was one of the best preserved old towns I visited." p.88)
March 9, 2025
A Captivating and Humanizing Account of the Long March
Sun Shuyun’s The Long March: The True History of Communist China’s Founding Myth is a fascinating blend of history, memoir, and investigative journalism that brings new depth to one of the most mythologized events in modern Chinese history. Unlike the purely heroic narratives often associated with the Long March, Sun takes a more personal approach, retracing the route and interviewing surviving veterans. Through their stories, she reveals the immense suffering, endurance, and contradictions of this legendary journey.
What makes this book stand out is its balanced perspective. Sun does not merely recount the official Communist Party version of events but instead juxtaposes it with firsthand accounts that sometimes challenge the myth. Her storytelling is vivid, and her ability to weave together historical context with personal testimony makes the book both engaging and enlightening.
For those interested in Chinese history, revolutionary movements, or military strategy, The Long March offers a compelling, well-researched, and thought-provoking read. It is an essential addition to any history enthusiast’s bookshelf.
Sun Shuyun’s The Long March: The True History of Communist China’s Founding Myth is a fascinating blend of history, memoir, and investigative journalism that brings new depth to one of the most mythologized events in modern Chinese history. Unlike the purely heroic narratives often associated with the Long March, Sun takes a more personal approach, retracing the route and interviewing surviving veterans. Through their stories, she reveals the immense suffering, endurance, and contradictions of this legendary journey.
What makes this book stand out is its balanced perspective. Sun does not merely recount the official Communist Party version of events but instead juxtaposes it with firsthand accounts that sometimes challenge the myth. Her storytelling is vivid, and her ability to weave together historical context with personal testimony makes the book both engaging and enlightening.
For those interested in Chinese history, revolutionary movements, or military strategy, The Long March offers a compelling, well-researched, and thought-provoking read. It is an essential addition to any history enthusiast’s bookshelf.
October 31, 2021
(Audiobook) This work looks at the stories and trials of those who participated in the legendary Long March. It was a move of desperation for Mao, who was on the run from Nationalist forces when he undertook that move with his followers. Yet, the actions and struggles, or the stories of those struggles, came to play a major role in the mythology of Mao and his rise to power in China. The accounts are harrowing and engaging. While there is much dispute about Mao’s actual role in the March and what role it should play in Chinese history, the accounts of those who experienced it can’t be disregarded.
Worth the listen, if for no other reason than to get a sense of what the March did to those involved and the struggles of those involved.
Worth the listen, if for no other reason than to get a sense of what the March did to those involved and the struggles of those involved.
April 1, 2021
As someone who didn't know much about the Long March going into this book other than what it was and where it happened, this book was incredibly educational. The true stories of Long March survivors were absolutely harrowing, and I liked how the author mixed these "interview" chapters with bird's eye historical account of the March, putting these personal sagas into their proper context. At times, I thought the book was confusingly organized, and it did drag on in parts. But this is still an important book, especially in its discussion of China's relationship with its Muslim minority population, which sets the scene for the human rights abuses we see happening today.
January 4, 2021
Paints a vivid picture of the March’s necessity, retracing the itinerary, their logistics to survive it - very interesting to get a sense of the roles in the different Armys, how they supplied themselves by cajoling, singing or expropriating and the power struggle to come out on top both of China against the Japanese, Chang Kai Shek, and the warlords, but also in the Party, though I found myself wanting more details on this last point.
As it was this was quick tour around the provinces, “far from the Emperor”, that gives the chance to hear from locals who live largely forgotten for their huge sacrifices.
As it was this was quick tour around the provinces, “far from the Emperor”, that gives the chance to hear from locals who live largely forgotten for their huge sacrifices.
July 4, 2017
A very insightful and easy to follow account of an event that many Western readers will have little/no familiarity with. Although some general knowledge of the Communist Revolution and Mao's Long March will benefit readers, this book will also inspire those who do not know much to learn more about this fascinating topic.
June 18, 2024
This is a disjointed recap of the Long March, a supposed correction of the victorious tales of Mao and the Red Army. While it provides interesting details of what the author suggests are long suppressed facts about the march, it comes across nearly as propagandistic as the fanciful official version. The Long March deserves a better telling.
March 22, 2017
I recommend this Book to anyone who want to learn about the Long March and ways Mao used to always succeed in being on top at the Red Army; his acumen and military experience. It is a Book about untold stories that even many Chinese are not aware of.
Quoted below is my favorite paragraph:
''All my life, along with most Chinese, i thought of Zhang Guatao as an evil man, nailed as we may say, on the pillar of history's shame. The power struggle ended with Mao the winner, Zhang the loser. As the Chinese say, there can not be two suns in the sky. Compared to Mao, the sophicated and ruthless politician, Zhang seems almost naive. He was bound to fail- as did anyone who dared to challenge Mao''
Quoted below is my favorite paragraph:
''All my life, along with most Chinese, i thought of Zhang Guatao as an evil man, nailed as we may say, on the pillar of history's shame. The power struggle ended with Mao the winner, Zhang the loser. As the Chinese say, there can not be two suns in the sky. Compared to Mao, the sophicated and ruthless politician, Zhang seems almost naive. He was bound to fail- as did anyone who dared to challenge Mao''
November 26, 2021
An incredibly honest interpretation of a piece of real history shrouded in myth. Accounts from survivors that the author meets on her own journey give it a human and outright beautiful edge over other books on the subject.
June 2, 2023
Seemingly twice per chapter she stops to go, "Wow, I can't believe the version of history I knew from the proganda films wasn't entirely accurate!" Or, "I was shocked they never told us this awful Mao episode at school!" Like honey, why does this continue to be a surprise?
June 3, 2017
Amazing and haunting. A must read for anyone interested in China.
December 16, 2017
An antidote to the usual mythology of the Long March. Well written for the general reader who has read the propaganda.
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