Truth Exposed: What Really Was the Long March?

As told for years, the story of the 200,000 soldiers who participated in the Long March is a great one. But how much of it is truth? And how much of it is as brave and valiant as they say? According to the article "The Long March, the true story behind the myth" by Sun Shuyun (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/syndicate/20060615dy02.htm), not everyone was a happy volunteer for the job. Young children such as Huang Zhiji were blackmailed into joining the march. The Red Army had arrested his father, and refused to release him unless young Huang joined with them on the March. Many ran away from the March, but many others also stayed, in fear of being shot by the Red Army. According to the article, many soldiers suffered badly while on the March, and of the 200,000 who set out, less than half reached the final destination. When asked, some of the survivors don't even know what drove them to walk the12,500 km. So what exactly was so great about the Long March?

Anisha Khosla