The chapter discusses the division within the Chinese Communist Party leadership in the 1930s, highlighting the factions led by Mao advocating for guerrilla warfare and conventionally educated urban intellectuals. It explores the collapse of Communist leadership within the cities, the refuge in Jiangxi, and the emergence of rivals like Zhang Guotao. The chapter also delves into the Communist forces breaking out of the blockade and the Long March that ensued.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a foundation story for China as it was reshaped under Mao Zedong. In October 1934, around ninety thousand soldiers of the Red Army broke out of a siege in Jiangxi in the south east of the country, hoping to find a place to regroup and rebuild. They were joined by other armies, and this turned into a very long march to the west and then north, covering thousands of miles of harsh and hostile territory, marshes and mountains, pursued by forces of the ruling Kuomintang for a year. Mao Zedong was among the marchers and emerged at the head of them, and he ensured the officially approved history of the Long March would be an inspiration and education for decades to come.
With
Rana Mitter
Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China and Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford
Sun Shuyun
Historian, writer of 'The Long March' and film maker
And
Julia Lovell
Professor in Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck, University of London
Producer: Simon Tillotson