While the Long March saw revolutionaries trek some 8,000 kilometres across much of western China's most difficult terrain, the kindergarten's 200 children were only required to walk 4 kilometres.

The headmaster said the walk was organized to help explain the Long March to the youngsters and ensure they inherited the older generation's spirit.

But many parents complained their children were too young to understand the significance of the event, and a local expert on children's education warned the walk may have been too exhausting.