In honor of the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March (1934-36), the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced a nationwide initiative on Wednesday to protect and revitalize sites and cultural relics associated with the legendary chapter.

The Long March was a strategic military maneuver by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the predecessor of the People's Liberation Army, which trekked 12,500 kilometers from East China's Jiangxi province, repelled over one million pursuing enemy troops, and ultimately reached the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region in northwestern China — the cradle of New China.

This epic journey, which involved enduring extreme hardships in order to preserve the core force of the Communist Party of China, has become legendary in modern Chinese history for its endurance and revolutionary spirit.

Peng Yuehui, director of the revolutionary-themed relics department at the cultural heritage administration, said, "The cultural relics of the Long March bear witness to history, carry forward its enduring spirit, and serve as precious treasures that inspire us to strive forward on a new journey."

This year, China will step up efforts to thoroughly investigate and make clear the existing resources of cultural relics related to the Long March. Cultural heritage institutions along the routes of the Long March are scheduled to collect more artifacts, archives, old photos, oral records and memoirs, and improve their protection, organization and research.

"Based on the materials collected during the ongoing fourth national census of cultural relics, we will gain an understanding of the quantity, content, distribution and characteristics of these relics. This will enable us to compile a detailed list of themed sites and memorial halls," said Peng.

Archaeological surveys will also be conducted at some of the sites, which may reveal more ruins, and provide further insights into the event.

Earlier this month, the cultural heritage administration issued a notice to its institutions at various levels, urging them to more effectively protect and utilize the related cultural relics. Regular inspection and routine maintenance mechanisms for the Long March historical sites are required to be gradually established.

Peng also noted that more efforts will be made in improving the presentation of related sites and relics. In addition to major exhibitions in Beijing highlighting the significance of the historic event, dozens of themed displays will be held across the country this year.

Following protective restoration work, the historical site of the Zunyi Conference in Zunyi, Guizhou province — a crucial turning point during the Long March that marked the maturity of the CPC — will open fully to the public this year, including the meeting room where members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held the historic meeting that resolved the most critical military and organizational issues at that time.

A themed travel trail — "Retracing the Long March Road" — will be promoted, linking a series of sites related to the event. Peng said the trail will recount the Red Army soldiers' arduous efforts and historical contributions.

Zhong Min, deputy director of a museum commemorating the departure of the Central Red Army on the Long March in Yudu county, Jiangxi, said, "Protecting every revolutionary site, every red cultural heritage and every memory of heroes safeguards the backbone of our country's ethos.

"Only by effectively managing and utilizing these red resources can we ensure that the spirit of the Long March remains vital in the new era, infusing our ideals and beliefs with an inexhaustible source of strength."