By Liu Decheng

The Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship was recently sent with a Long March-2F carrier rocket to the pre-set orbit, taking Chinese taikonauts to the space station Tiangong again.

Some say that the 14th Five-year Plan period and the way toward the second centenary goal signify a new Long March.

Long March has always had profound connotations, either spiritually or historically.

October 22 marks the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Long March undertaken by the Red Army. Eighty-five years ago, the CPC led the Red Army to march thousands of kilometers across more than ten provinces, during which they defeated strong enemies, crossed billowing rivers, climbed the snow mountains and passed the grassland, before they finally joined with other Chinese troops in an incredible reunion that astonished the world. The Long March, a phenomenal revolutionary feat, was a grand epic written by the CPC and the Red Army, and it set up a magnificent monument in the course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As Edgar Snow said, …the spirit, strength, desire and passion – they couldn’t have been created by a writer – that made these people invincible represented the richest and most glorious of human history.

The great victory of the expedition not only preserved China's revolutionary forces, but also helped the Party find a new foothold for the survival and development of those forces, and a new starting point from which the Chinese revolutionary cause can proceed till it succeeds. The victory of the Long March is the beginning of a string of victories later – in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, in the War of Liberation, in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and the numerous other victories and miracles on our adventure of national rejuvenation.

Every generation has its own Long March, and every generation must see that march through. For the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), succeeding in its new Long March means to ensure the achievement of the military's centenary goal by 2027, and then, to achieve the Party's goal of building a strong military in the new era and build the people's army into a world-class force in every respect by the middle of this century.

Compared with the Red Army's Long March 85 years ago, the Long March today differs wildly in the general environment, conditions, missions and strengths, but they are both ground-breaking, arduous and complicated causes. At present, with profound changes never seen in a century and COVID-19 raging around the world, China's national security is facing high risks and great pressure. There are many more “snow mountains” and “grasslands” that we must climb and cross, and many more difficulties and challenges that we must overcome. All service members of the Chinese military should follow in the steps of Red Army members, stay true to the original aspiration and founding mission, remain adamant in the belief and ideal, and dare to fight and strive to win – that's the only way we can succeed in the new Long March and achieve new and greater glory.

To strive for greater glory, we must strongly promote the Long March spirit, the most valuable spiritual legacy that this marvelous expedition left to us. As long as we carry forward this spirit, work hard and aim high, we are sure to score many more victories and build a strong military for the new era.

To strive for greater glory on the new Long March, action speaks louder than words. Being in the middle of establishing a new system, only through innovative ideas and proactive actions can we perform our duties well. We should bear in mind the goal of building a strong military and winning battles in all the work we do, dare to make innovations and think out of the box, and pursue excellence tirelessly. Thus, we can achieve high-quality development of the armed forces and make greater contributions to war preparedness and combat readiness.

Eighty-five years have passed. The Long March goes on. We are always on the way!