Eighty-five years ago, on Oct 22 the three main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army met in the northern part of Shaanxi province, symbolizing the success of the Long March (October 1934 to October 1936).

In the face of the encirclement campaigns and oppressive rule of Kuomintang and Japanese invasion of China, the CPC-led Red Army not only marched from the southern part of Jiangxi province to the northern part of Shaanxi province, but also shifted the communist revolutionary base to Yan'an.

The first or central force of the Red Army covered the distance between October 1934 and October 1935, but the other Red Army branches completed the march and met in Shaanxi in October 1936 and established the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, making Yan'an the base of the Red Army and the new starting point of the Party-led revolution.

The Long March was a strategic shift the Party and the Red Army were forced to make at a critical moment, whose spirit and influence live on.

As Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has said: The great Long March spirit is to put the fundamental interests of the Chinese people and the nation above all else, make stronger revolutionary ideals and beliefs, and firmly believe that the just cause will inevitably win; to save the country and the people, and, regardless of any difficulties and obstacles, not hesitate to make sacrifice; to adhere to the spirit of independence, seek truth from facts and start everything from reality; to bear in mind the overall situation, strictly abide by discipline and maintain unity; and to rely on the people and share weal and woe with them.

As an important part of the spiritual spectrum of Chinese communists, the Long March is ingrained in the blood of the Party, the State, the nation and the people. It has become a powerful spiritual driving force, inspiring and motivating the Chinese people to overcome difficulties and achieve one victory after another.

Today, 85 years later, China is at a historical juncture again, not least because the rapidly changing global situation. The profound analysis of the international and domestic situations by the Party is the basic starting point to plan our work, and the historical background that we must consider when navigating the "long march" in the new era and pursuing national rejuvenation.

The emerging markets and developing countries are rising at an increasingly faster pace, the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation have given birth to fierce competition, and the established global governance system is unable to deal with the fast-changing international situation.

The major changes taking place in the world economy, the international power pattern, the global governance system and societies are influencing the direction and progress of human society.

Equally important, China's pursuit of national rejuvenation has entered a critical period. As the greatest dream of the Chinese people, national rejuvenation has been the theme of all the struggles, sacrifices and achievements of the Party and the Chinese people over the past century. National rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability, and China is closer to, more confident and more capable of realizing that dream.

Thanks to the sustained efforts of the Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, China has achieved its first centenary goal of eradicating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is now moving toward achieving the second goal of a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by 2050.

Since the new "long march" to realize the second centenary goal will be as arduous and complex as the original one, we need to seek inspiration and strength from the Long March Chinese communists undertook 85 years ago. We must use the Long March as a spiritual driving force and forge ahead on the path to building China into a great, modern, socialist country in all respects and realizing national rejuvenation.

To make the new "long march" a success, we should also make use of the positive factors that major changes in the world have given rise to and help the world develop in a positive direction, in order to realize national rejuvenation.

The Party must keep in mind its original mission, follow people-centric policies, fulfill its fundamental obligation of serving the people, respect the people's pioneering spirit, and pool the strength of the people to make more tangible progress in promoting balanced and inclusive development, achieve common prosperity and realize national rejuvenation.

The authors are researchers at the School of Marxism, Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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