Performances bringing rich history to life

Editor's note: This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March — a monumental feat in human history. Starting today, China Daily will publish a series of reports reflecting on this historic journey and exploring how the spirit of the Long March continues to inspire the Chinese people on their new path toward national rejuvenation.

On a map, He House and Dongmen Ferry are just 1.8 kilometers apart — about a 30-minute walk through the heart of Yudu county in Jiangxi province.

He House, where Chairman Mao Zedong stayed in September 1934, just weeks before the start of the Long March, is located in the old North Gate area of Yudu. From there, the route today passes by restored lanes, old homes and storefronts before opening onto the riverfront, where modern bridges span the Yudu River.

In 1934, the journey from He House to the ferry ended at a very different riverfront.

On the evening of Oct 18 that year, Mao left He House for the ferry. As there was no bridge across the more than 600-meter-wide river, residents gathered over 800 boats and took doors, bed boards and other timber from their homes to build pontoon bridges at night, dismantling them again before dawn.

Over several nights, more than 86,000 members of the Central Red Army crossed the river and embarked on the Long March — the strategic retreat undertaken by the Communist Party of China between 1934 and 1936, which ultimately led them to northern Shaanxi province.

Ninety-two years later, people are returning to that departure point, not just to witness the location's rich history, but also to immerse themselves in it.

On Tuesday, under a blazing September sun, performers in Red Army uniforms and period dress staged Farewell at Dongmen Ferry, recreating those departures that took place in 1934.

Among them was Wang Huiqun, a retired water supply company employee from the county. Her father, Wang Zhixian, joined the Red Army in 1932, left Yudu with the First Army Corps, and survived the Long March.

Wang grew up hearing stories about her father's time in the Red Army. Performing Farewell, she said, brought her closer to understanding what that departure might have felt like.

"Through every performance, I can understand more deeply what my father must have felt," she said. "So I tell myself I have to keep going and walk my own Long March on this stage."

Wang said she hopes that these performances will help young people better understand the sacrifices made by previous generations, and appreciate how hard-won today's life is.

For Hu Changqun, a visitor from South China's Guangdong province, that shift from reading history to encountering it physically occurred at the river.

Hu stopped in Yudu while driving through Jiangxi to Zhejiang province. Most of what he knew about the Long March had come from books and films. After visiting He House, the museum and other historical sites, Hu came to a short section of a pontoon bridge recreated on the riverbank.

"Standing by the river, I feel as if I'm in the same place as those who came before us 92 years ago," Hu said.

Interactive forms

Yudu county's effort to reach younger audiences through more interactive forms of storytelling is becoming increasingly visible. From short dramas and artificial intelligence animation to virtual reality and augmented reality displays and immersive performances, the county has been experimenting with new ways of bringing the history of the Long March closer to the younger generation.

"More young visitors and student groups on study tours are coming to Yudu to experience history rather than simply view it. That participation can extend to the stage," said Xie Hui, head of the county's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism. He added that visitors often ask to join Farewell after watching the performance.

They can put on Red Army uniforms and take part alongside volunteer performers, turning themselves from spectators into participants, he said.

Yudu recorded 11.694 million tourist visits in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 8.28 percent year-on-year, with the county's tourism revenue reaching 10.7 billion yuan ($1.59 billion), up 7.27 percent.

This trend is evident across Ganzhou, the prefecture-level city administering Yudu. Red tourism visits to the city rose from 41.94 million in 2023 to more than 53 million in 2025, an increase of over 26 percent.

Zhong Min, head of Yudu's Red heritage protection and development center, said that immersive programs have altered the way that young people are engaging with the history of the Long March.

"The biggest change is that students have gone from hearing the story to becoming part of it," Zhong said.