The sculpture depicting the victory of the Red Army's Long March Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society.

To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched the "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

Birds who want to fly first need to flutter their wings, people who seek progress first need to read. In today's society, many people love reading books very much, and I'm no exception. During the summer vacation, I read Red Star Over China, and it attracted me a lot because of the story of the Red Army. 

It was written by Edgar Snow, a reporter from the US. It tells us about his interview in the revolutionary base area in northwest China from June to October 1936. Snow gave the whole world a true account of China and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, as well as many of its leaders and generals. 

I think the most impressive plot in the whole book is the strategic migration of the Red Army. It describes the event of the Long March in beautiful language from a first-person perspective. During the Long March, the Red Army met plenty of difficulties, such as the Kuomintang's pursuit and interception, snowy mountains and grasslands with harsh conditions, and so on.

The quality reflected by this event is the spirit of the Long March. The spirit of the Long March is a belief that is extremely loyal to revolutionary ideals and cause, the spirit of the Long March is  proletarian optimism that is not afraid of sacrifice and dares to win, the spirit of the Long March is a noble character that takes into account the overall situation, strictly abides by disciplines, and is closely united. 

All of those constitute the great Long March spirit. While I was reading the book, every time I thought of this spirit, it gave me a great inspiration. The great spirit of perseverance showed by Red Army soldiers who overcame numerous difficulties and traveled over 25,000 li (12,500 kilometers) is worth learning from. 

The Long March is one of the wonders of humanity. In the military history of ancient and modern times, which army has gone through such a long march under such difficult and harsh conditions? Which army could face the journey of life and death without losing heart, and march toward victory with greater unity and pride? Only the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China.

Their patriotism reflects the pure heart of every modern fighter - no matter what kind of test they undergo, they can always maintain their originalaspiration; demonstrates the tenacious will of those who strive - being able to persevere no matter what hardships they encounter; and embody the spirit of dedication of those who strive - no matter how many sacrifices they make, they have no regrets or grievances. 

My strong sense of patriotism has made me love this land. As a Chinese, living in the good environment created by those old revolutionaries has given me a sense of security and pride. 

The snow-capped mountains of the Long March are monuments composed of the remains of countless martyrs, guiding their comrades and people today to go forward along the way.

The author is a student at Beijing Wenhui Middle School