Long March: More than a tough journey

A screen capture of Long March OL. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Long March is a popular online game!"

The most interesting answer came from a boy called Li Zhicheng studying at a middle school in Wuhu in East China's Anhui province.

Long March OL is an online game developed as part of patriotic education. In contrast with other virtual games, Long March OL integrates entertainment with education. In a setting that simulates the arduous journey of the Red Army, players have to go through the game by overcoming many obstacles. Meanwhile, several quizzes concerning the history of the Long March must be taken.

"I think it is a smart way to help children learn the history of the Long March. Unlike other violent and bloody online games, Long March OL lays an emphasis on kindness and mutual help. For instance, players will gain higher points in the game when they risks their lives protecting others," said Liu Yong, a teacher working at a school in Beijing.

What's more, the Long March can be a non-fiction book, a pop song, a documentary, a drama, a TV series, and so much more.

Whether it is a rocket or a bike, the Long March is more than a difficult journey, a universal truth that has never changed. The spirit and significance of the Long March has been ingrained into the heart of every Chinese person and takes on a diversity of forms in society today.

"It was Mao Zedong who led the Long March in the 1930s. And now it is Xi Jinping's destiny to be the leader of China's 'Second' Long March," according to Khairy Tourk, associate member of the Center for East Asian Studies of the University of Chicago and professor of Stuart School of Business of Illinois Institute of Technology.

Indeed, 80 years ago, the Red Army directed by the Communist Party of China successfully finished a 12,500-kilmeter maneuver, an epoch-making feat that has changed the process of human civilization.

80 years later, the Chinese government has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, a development strategy focusing on connectivity and cooperation and welcoming the participation of all countries and international and regional organizations.

Proceeding from the Long March to the "Belt and Road", Chinese people have always pressed ahead with confidence and courage.

All these have a close relationship with the cultural legacy of Long March, that is, the Long March spirit, a spirit of inheritance.