Copies of Selected Archival Documents on the Long March of the Chinese Red Army Photo: Courtesy of China's Central Archives

China's Central Archives has compiled and published a collection of historical documents on the Long March to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March, offering researchers access to a broad range of archival material, including some documents being made public for the first time.

The book, titled Selected Archival Documents on the Long March of the Chinese Red Army, has been published by Xuexi Publishing House and is available nationwide, according to a press release that China's Central Archives sent to the Global Times on Monday.

The collection contains 350 documents in eight thematic sections, drawing primarily on telegrams and other records from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Central Revolutionary Military Commission and the Red Army's First, Second and Fourth Front Armies, as well as the 25th Army. It also includes a small amount of historical materials from revolutionary newspapers and periodicals published during the march.

An editor at Xuexi Publishing House surnamed Xu told the Global Times the Long March was one of the most internationally recognized subjects in the history of the Chinese revolution.

The documents are arranged chronologically and thematically according to the different stages of the Long March, the press release noted.

Most of the materials were reproduced from holdings at the Central Archives, while a smaller portion was sourced from previously published books and collections. Some documents are being published for the first time. The book also includes 47 facsimile reproductions of archival materials held by the institution.

The Long March, undertaken by the Red Army in the 1930s amid military pressure from Nationalist forces, became a defining episode in the history of the Communist Party of China. The First Front Army began its strategic retreat in 1934 and reached northern Shaanxi in 1935, while other Red Army units followed separate routes and completed their marches at different times.

A representative of the Central Archives told the Global Times that the compilation was intended to support further historical research and help explain the significance of the Long March, which demonstrates the Party's resilience and military strategy.

The representative said archival research was essential to preserving the historical record and passing on the spirit associated with the campaign.

Collecting and verifying the documents has presented challenges because the Long March crossed more than 10 provincial-level regions, while records were produced under difficult conditions, dispersed across different institutions and preserved in varying versions, according to the press release.

In recent years, archival departments along the route have worked with Party-history research institutions, memorial sites and museums to collect, authenticate, organize and study relevant materials, with coordination provided by the National Archives Administration of China.