The Life Millennium: The 100 Most Important Events and People of the Past 1,000 Years, a book published by LIFE Magazine, Time Inc, has listed 100 most important events that taking place between the year 1000 to 2000 (AD.) and with great impact on the development of the human civilization.
The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March is among the selected list.
Muhammad Tanveer Piracha
Air Commodore, Parkistan
Great motivation was there when more than for two years, half of China, they have walked on foot without any transportation.
Jörn-Arne Werner Friedrich Niemann
Navy Lieutenant Colonel, Germany
And only if you believe, then you can support and work with others together.I think yes, this spirit of the Long March is something like a glue in the Chinese society, I think.
Arvind Kumar Pandey,
Colonel, India
The Long March spirit is all about sacrifices, the ability to sacrifice, the ability to show highest degree of determination.The spirit is important. One of the basic spirits of Long March was that the leadership at that time was very very concerned about the men they were commanding. And there are numerous instances where the leadership sacrifice their own personal comfort for the safety and well-being of their troops.
There are several stories and to single out one would be quite unfair. One story which comes to my mind is that of a squad leader,who was to look after a small group of staggerers and injured sick people, As the story goes that he used to feed the boys who were under his command often sacrificing his own food.At many times he remained hungry. After a few months, I'm told that because of starvation, he himself became sick and eventually he died.But he ensured that the man who was under his command is survived and they were able to complete the march.
They have narrated the great and they have narrated the Long March spirit.That spirit can be seen whenever I see the Chinese soldiers in the campus (PLA National Defense University) here.I can see the spirit is still alive.
Jörn-Arne Werner Friedrich Niemann
Navy Lieutenant Colonel, Germany
As I was a soldier who was serving on board of ships, we spend months at sea.And during these months at sea, during winter, you had to do exactly the same what was doing on the Long March, so you have to support each other all the time.It is following dreams, following leadership. It is mutual support.I think the Long March was an exceptional event, let's say, because it took so long and there were so many people.But you can break it down to a unit level, company level, ship's level,whatever, where people have to work together, support each other, believe in leadership and follow, I mean, the mission.So it is a system of people working together for one goal, believing in what they do and only if you believe, then you can support and work with others together.I think yes, this spirit of the Long March is something like a glue in the Chinese society, I think.
Whenever it comes to Chinese characteristic habits and similar things, there is a common sense of thinking and I think, perhaps not everything, but a lot is based on the common sense from the Long March, dedication, commitment, trust and support to others.
Muhammad Tanveer Piracha
Air Commodore, Parkistan
I was very young, maybe 10 years old, that I saw a fighter aircraft which was flying very low. And the speed and the sound were so amazing. So when I saw this aircraft, I had the dream to become to sit in that aircraft. It was a long dream. It was a dream which requires a lot of hard work, spirit, motivation and hardship.
So the spirit is just like the Long March.
Great motivation was there when more than for two years, half of China, they have walked on foot without any transportation. These were common people, farmers and people who did not have many money. And the big army of KMT was following, trying to annihilate them, kill them. And these Chinese people which carried out this Long March all across China, half of them went to the North and West to save so as to regroup and become strong. And this is what is required for the leadership, because China has a great leadership. And under the leadership, the spirit is still going off the Long March, the great struggle, determination and facing great difficulties of weather, of big army.
And that spirit is what is the motivation behind, coming from way back 80 years, the Long March.
