October 20
Mao Zedong's Red Army Completes the Long March
The battered remnants of Mao Zedong’s First Front Red Army reached a secure base in northern Shaanxi on October 20, 1935, ending their year-long retreat and securing the Chinese Communist movement’s survival.
Summary
By the mid-1930s, Chinese Communist forces under Mao Zedong faced encirclement by Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist armies in Jiangxi province. In October 1934, roughly 86,000 troops and supporters began a desperate retreat northwestward to evade annihilation. The year-long trek crossed eighteen mountain ranges, twenty-four rivers, and harsh terrain while enduring aerial attacks, skirmishes, and starvation. On October 20, 1935, the surviving First Front Army, reduced to about 8,000, reached northern Shaanxi province near the Great Wall and linked with local Communist units. This arrival marked the effective end of the Long March and solidified Mao's leadership within the party.
Context
By the early 1930s the Chinese Communist Party had established a network of rural soviets, the largest of which was the Jiangxi Soviet centered on Ruijin. Mao Zedong and Zhu De built the First Front Red Army there, employing guerrilla tactics that repelled four Nationalist encirclement campaigns launched by Chiang Kai-shek. The fifth campaign, begun in late 1933, deployed roughly 700,000 troops and a network of blockhouses that gradually constricted the Communist zone, inflicting heavy losses and prompting the party leadership to abandon conventional defense.
What Happened
On October 16, 1934, approximately 86,000 soldiers and supporters slipped through weak points in the Nationalist lines and began the Long March westward. Early disasters, especially the crossing of the Xiang River in late November, cost more than 40,000 lives. At the Zunyi Conference in January 1935 Mao regained decisive influence, shifting the route northwest toward Shaanxi and adopting more flexible tactics that avoided decisive battles with superior forces. The columns traversed snow-capped mountains, marshes, and numerous rivers while fending off aerial attacks and local warlord troops.
Aftermath
On October 20, 1935, the surviving 8,000 troops of the First Front Army reached Wuqizhen in northern Shaanxi, where they linked with local Communist units and established a new headquarters near the Great Wall. The arrival ended the most perilous phase of the retreat and allowed the party to regroup in a defensible region far from immediate Nationalist pressure.
Legacy
The Long March preserved the core of the Communist movement, relocated its base to a stronghold from which it could later expand, and elevated Mao as the party’s preeminent leader. The ordeal became a central founding myth of the People’s Republic, symbolizing endurance and ideological commitment; it also positioned the Communists to participate in the anti-Japanese united front and ultimately to prevail in the resumed civil war after 1945.
Why It Matters
The Long March preserved the Communist movement, relocated its base to a defensible northern stronghold, and elevated Mao as its preeminent leader, enabling survival through the Japanese invasion and eventual victory in the Chinese Civil War. It became a foundational legend of endurance and ideological commitment in modern Chinese history.
Related Questions
Why did the Communists leave their Jiangxi base?
Nationalist encirclement campaigns had tightened around the Jiangxi Soviet, making continued defense impossible and forcing a breakout.
How many people survived the Long March?
Of the roughly 86,000 who began, only about 8,000 reached northern Shaanxi with the First Front Army.
What changed at the Zunyi Conference?
The conference shifted strategic control from Moscow-oriented leaders to Mao Zedong, who favored more flexible guerrilla tactics and a northwestern destination.
Where did the march end?
The First Front Army arrived near Wuqizhen in northern Shaanxi province on October 19–20, 1935, establishing a new base near Yan’an.
How did the Long March affect Mao’s position?
The successful retreat and Mao’s leadership during it cemented his authority within the Communist Party and became a cornerstone of his later public image.
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US Military Atlas: Mao Zedong's Red Army Completes the Long March connects to military history, war consequences, or postwar diplomacy.
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Sources
- Mao’s Long March concludes, History.com. Accessed 2026-07-06.
- Long March, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-07-06.