Straw sandals keep alive memory of Long March farewell
At the memorial hall marking the Central Red Army's departure on the Long March in Yudu county, Jiangxi province, a photo of a pair of well-preserved straw sandals sits among dozens of revolutionary artifacts.
They belonged to Xie Zhijian, a Yudu native and Red Army veteran, and behind them lies a love story that has endured for 90 years.
The "Together on the Long March: 90th Anniversary of an Epic Journey" International Communication Project is launched by China International Communications Group in Yudu county, Jiangxi province, June 15, 2026. [Photo by Dong Ning/China.org.cn]
Born in Yanxi village, Lingbei town, Xie joined the Red Army at the age of 14. On the day the Long March began in the autumn of 1934, local residents gathered to bid farewell to the departing troops. They gave soldiers what they could: eggs, peanuts, dried food and straw sandals. Xie set off with a pair of sandals newly woven by his sweetheart Chunxiu.
He wore them only twice during the entire journey, so great was his attachment to them. He carefully preserved the sandals through years of war, and they remained virtually unworn long after the fighting ended. During the journey, Xie was unfortunately wounded and left stranded in the countryside of Northwest China.
A photo of the straw sandals donated by Xie Zhijian, on display at a memorial hall marking the Central Red Army's departure on the Long March in Yudu county, Jiangxi province, June 15, 2026. [Photo by Li Zhi/China.org.cn]
When Xie finally returned to Yudu after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the sandals were still intact. However, he found that Chunxiu had died shortly after his departure, killed by enemy forces.
Xie went on to work at a local flour mill. In the 1980s, he added two small decorative balls of fabric strips to the sandals that had accompanied him on the Long March, and donated them to the memorial hall.
The original red balls eventually faded, but his memory never did. Even in illness, he became a regular visitor. There, he would gaze at the sandals for a long time, as if conversing across time and space with that bygone era.
Xie was one of 86,000 Red Army soldiers who set out on the Long March. Residents of revolutionary base areas made 200,000 pairs of straw sandals for the troops in the days before their departure. Xie's sandals were just one of those 200,000 pairs, yet they serve as a microcosm of the profound bond between the Red Army and the people it served.
The soldiers wore those shoes across mountains and rivers, enduring hardships that are difficult to imagine, ultimately securing the Long March's victory.
Zhavier Harris, marketing and communications manager of Springfield Urban League, a U.S. nonprofit, tries making straw sandals during a trip to retrace the Long March in Yudu county, Jiangxi province, June 15, 2026. [Photo by Dong Ning/China.org.cn]
The memorial hall was among the sites visited on June 15 by participants in the "Together on the Long March: 90th Anniversary of an Epic Journey" CICG International Communication Project.
The project brings together Chinese and international experts, scholars, social media influencers and youth representatives to travel the Long March route.
To better understand the experience, Zhavier Harris, marketing and communications manager of U.S. nonprofit Springfield Urban League, tried making straw sandals at the museum, twisting the raw material, knotting and weaving.
He found the techniques harder than expected and came away with a deeper appreciation for what the soldiers endured, noting that the resilience and courage of the Red Army soldiers was heart-shaking.
Ninety years on, the spirit of the Long March endures — in the bond between soldiers and civilians, and in the sense of duty to protect the country, embodied in exhibits like Xie's straw sandals. That spirit continues to inspire new generations.