sixteen foreign students of tianjin university, from 13 countries and regions, visited tanchang county, northwest china's gansu province in mid-july, to learn about the history of the long march, the most epic military maneuver in china's modern history.
tanchang county was an important stop for the red army during the long march in the 1930s.
the red army marched through raging rivers, snowy mountains and arid grasslands to break the kuomintang regime's grip on the country and to continue their fight against japanese invaders. some of them marched as far as 12,500 kilometers, enduring hunger, thirst and cold.