Women of the Long March

Book excerpt: The Long March, a year-long retreat made by the Chinese Communist Red Army escaping from destruction by the Nationalist forces, is a central turning point in the history of modern China. Thirty women marched with the top leaders, including Mao Zedong and Deng Xioping, during the 6,000-mile trek, and 3,000 women were among the ranks. This book, one of the few to focus on the women, tells their story through the biographies of three key players. Just 17 when they became lovers, Mao's second wife, He Zizhen, bore his children along the way and was forced to leave them behind; Kang Kequing, wife of Zhu De, endured the same hardships as the men, shouldered arms, and fought alongside her male comrades; Commander Wang Quanyuan was captured with her battalion by enemy cavalry that forced the women to become concubines. Drawing on interviews and published and unpublished sources, this book details their experiences on the March and subsequent lives in Communist China.