Vietnamese Expert Sees New Life in the Long March Spirit

Duong Van Huy, Director, Department of International Cooperation, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies (IAPS), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS)

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What impressed me most was the extraordinary transformation of the communities along the route of the Red Army’s Long March. Places once defined by hardship and poverty have been given a new lease of life through rural revitalization. Local living standards have risen steadily, and the lives of residents have changed beyond recognition. Yet amid all these changes, the memory of the Long March remains as strong as ever. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of local people and carried forward in their everyday lives. Today, the spirit has become a powerful source of motivation for rural revitalization across China.

Our field study brought us to villages where agricultural modernization has taken shape through the combined impetus of the rural revitalization strategy and the enduring Long March spirit. At the entrance to Maozhushan Village in Caiwan Town, Quanzhou County, we were greeted by an imposing stone engraved with the words, “People’s wellbeing is the top priority of the state”. The secretary of the village Party branch recalled that Maozhushan Village had once been desperately poor. Life was so difficult that young women were unwilling to marry into the village. Today, the village has been transformed, and its residents now earn stable incomes from a grape-growing industry built around local strengths. They live and work with a growing sense of security and fulfillment. Long known for its bamboo and grapes, Maozhushan Village has breathed new life into its traditional grape industry by improving quality, efficiency, and productivity. Rural tourism has flourished alongside it. In doing so, the village has found a path to rural revitalization tailored to its own local conditions.

In this flourishing and picturesque village, we wandered through vineyards where the vines were heavy with fruit. The scene offered vivid proof of what rural revitalization has achieved. A place once marked by poverty has been transformed into a prosperous, immaculate, and beautiful community, and a compelling example of ecological development. Behind the abundance of the vineyards lies the sustained application of modern agricultural technology. Digital tools and infrastructure have strengthened the foundations of the grape industry, while its success has breathed new life into rural tourism and agricultural leisure activities. Together, these developments have helped advance the revitalization of the village in every respect. The village Party secretary also drew our attention to changes in the cultural life of the community. Elderly residents and children are well cared for, and cultural activities now occupy a far more important place in villagers’ daily lives.

Our journey through Guilin also opened a window onto forms of China’s traditional cultural heritage that we had never known before. Drawing strength from its own distinctive cultural resources, the region has brought intangible cultural heritage and specialty products into modern industries and markets. Traditional culture has thus acquired new economic vitality without losing its role as a carrier of collective memory and cultural continuity, allowing the stories and traditions of the region to travel far beyond their place of origin.

From what we observed, one important path China is taking towards rural revitalization is to give cultural heritage a greater role in local development while encouraging cultural dialogue at the grassroots level. With the support of the rural revitalization strategy, technology is being used to unlock the potential of the countryside. Local traditions and heritage resources are transformed into products that can succeed in the marketplace. These products create economic value while providing new ways to introduce local cultural heritage to a wider audience.

During our journey, we followed a complete industrial chain that begins with rice and extends to rice wine and rice noodles. At the Xiangshan Liquor Eco-Park, traditional liquor-making techniques have been preserved as part of Guangxi’s intangible cultural heritage. Inside its warehouses stand ceramic wine-making jars dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Here, traditional craftsmanship has been brought together with industrial tourism. This combination has stimulated the local economy while helping preserve and pass on cultural heritage. It shows that tradition can be preserved without standing in the way of innovation. Such a model offers valuable lessons for ASEAN countries as they seek to modernize their own traditional industries.

We also visited the production site of Liudong Tea in Huajiang Yao Ethnic Township. At the foot of Mao’er Mountains, wild tea plants grow vigorously. With the help of modern technology, this once-overlooked natural resource has gradually developed into a distinctive local industry. The tea was once known to few people beyond the mountains. Today, its leaves have become the “golden leaves” of the Yao villagers, bringing higher incomes and helping families move towards greater prosperity. We tasted the tea and learned how its leaves are processed.

Grown under mountain bamboo, the tea produces a beautifully clear and fragrant infusion. Its flavor is pure and refreshing, with a delicate trace of bamboo that gives it a character unlike that of more familiar teas. Once simply a wild tea growing high in the mountains, it has now become an important local commodity and, at the same time, a living part of the community’s cultural heritage.

China’s approach to rural revitalization clearly varies from place to place. Yet throughout the regions along the route of the Red Army’s Long March, we discovered a shared driving force: the coming together of the Long March spirit, the power of technology, and the living heritage of local communities.

We came to see that the history of the Long March, preserved and shared by the Chinese government and people today, is not simply a record of the past. It expresses a profound gratitude to those revolutionary predecessors whose selfless devotion and sacrifice helped create the conditions for the better life that the Chinese people enjoy today. It also provides younger generations with a powerful form of education, nurturing a strong sense of national identity and patriotism. The Long March spirit remains alive and relevant. Its power continues to inspire young people to take part in rural revitalization and contribute to the broader task of national development.

The memory of the Red Army’s revolutionary heroes also speaks powerfully to foreign visitors like us. We come from ASEAN countries whose peoples likewise resisted colonialism and endured long and difficult struggles in pursuit of independence and national liberation. This shared experience allows us to feel a deep connection with the ideals, convictions, and willingness to sacrifice embodied by the Red Army. They did not retreat in the face of hardship or fear sacrifice. They remained faithful to their revolutionary ideals and were prepared to give their lives for the people. Their perseverance and devotion ultimately led them to victory.

The progress China has made in rural revitalization holds important lessons for ASEAN countries as well. Through closer cultural dialogue, ASEAN can draw inspiration from China’s efforts to bring local cultural heritage into the process of development. One of our visits took us to a local company specializing in rice noodles. There, we followed the complete industrial chain from rice to rice wine and rice noodles. It gave us a new perspective on how China is developing local food industries.

As a researcher from Vietnam, I see considerable potential for deeper cooperation between ASEAN and China in agricultural processing and food trade. Many ASEAN countries are endowed with abundant agricultural resources. Rice production, in particular, plays a critical role in regional agriculture and food security. For this reason, I believe China’s experience can provide valuable inspiration for ASEAN.

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