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[A Cultural Journey Through China: The Enduring Traditions of Schools and Museums] From Classrooms on the March and Books on Horseback to the Long March of the New Era

ENGLISH Translation中文 原文
01

CCTV.com reports (Xinwen Lianbo): Through years of war and long journeys, the flame of seeking knowledge and serving the country never went out. One generation made the journey its classroom and horseback its library, establishing schools, educating people, and safeguarding its revolutionary roots. A Cultural Journey Through China: The Enduring Traditions of Schools and Museums visits Xidian University and Yan'an University to look back at the wartime histories of these two universities with revolutionary origins and their responsibilities in the new era, and to explore how the spirit of the Long March has been passed down across time and space.

央视网消息(新闻联播):烽火岁月、征途漫漫,求知报国的火种始终未曾熄灭。一代人以征途为课堂、以马背为书库,兴学育人、守护红色根脉。《文化中国行·校馆弦歌》走进西安电子科技大学、延安大学,回望两所红色高校的烽火过往与新时代担当,感悟跨越时空的长征精神传承。

02

Inside the library of Xidian University, an exhibition marking the 95th anniversary of the university's founding is on display, quietly recounting its revolutionary history of 'starting with half a radio set and running a school on the Long March.'

走进西安电子科技大学图书馆,建校95周年主题展正在展出,静静讲述“半部电台起家,长征路上办学”的红色校史。

03

In 1930, the Red Army captured a damaged radio set during a campaign against 'encirclement and suppression.' This 'half a radio set' became the starting point for the school. To address the shortage of battlefield communications personnel, a Red Army radio training class opened in Ningdu, Jiangxi, in 1931. It later gradually developed into the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Communications School.

1930年,红军在反“围剿”中缴获一部破损电台,这“半部电台”就是学校办学的起点。为破解战场通信人才紧缺难题,1931年,红军无线电培训班在江西宁都开办,后逐步发展为中国工农红军通信学校。

04

In 1934, all of the school's teachers and students joined the marching ranks of the Long March, beginning a period of running the school while marching, fighting, and teaching.

1934年,全校师生编入长征行军队伍,开启边行军、边作战、边教学的办学历程。

05

During the Long March, revolutionary radio communications played an important role in many critical battles. During the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, teachers and students sent and received more than 300 telegrams, providing communications support for the Red Army's breakthroughs and maneuvering.

长征途中,红色电波在诸多关键战役中都发挥了重要作用。四渡赤水,师生收发报300多份,为红军突围穿插提供了通信保障。

06

The spirit of the Long March has been passed down continuously, and efforts to safeguard revolutionary cultural traditions never ceased during the years of campaigning. In 1941, the Communist Party of China founded Yan'an University. In 1947, the CPC Central Committee moved its operations across northern Shaanxi, and the university relocated along with it. Wherever the group went, its books were carried there on pack animals—hence the 'library on horseback.'

长征精神一脉相承,转战岁月里,红色文脉的守护从未停歇。1941年,中国共产党创办延安大学。1947年,党中央转战陕北,学校随之转移。队伍走到哪儿,书就驮到哪儿——“马背上的图书馆”由此而来。

07

This wartime history has become the university's most moving lesson in ideological and political education.

这段烽火往事成为学校最动人的一堂思政课。

08

Amid the fighting, Xidian's people marched with their classrooms on their backs, while Yan'an University's people moved from place to place with their book trunks carried on pack animals, nurturing a revolutionary legacy of hard work and struggle and of serving the country and the people. As time has passed and the flames of war have receded, this original aspiration has never changed. The great spirit of the Long March has taken deep root and been passed down from generation to generation. At Xidian University, research efforts go wherever the country's needs lie: from developing China's first weather radar to helping Chang'e send back high-definition remote-sensing images, and then advancing the Zhuri Project to probe the mysteries of space energy. Successive generations at Xidian are continuing, in the new era, to fulfill the mission and responsibilities of a 'national team' in electronic information.

战火之中,西电人背着课堂行军,延大人驮着书箱转战,孕育了艰苦奋斗、报国为民的红色基因。岁月流转,烽火远去,这份初心从未改变,伟大的长征精神深深扎根、代代相传。在西安电子科技大学,国家需求在哪里,科研攻关就奔赴哪里:从研制我国第一部气象雷达,到助力“嫦娥”传回高清遥感图像,再到推进“逐日工程”叩问空间能源奥秘,一代代西电人在新时代续写电子信息领域“国家队”的使命担当。

09

The responsibility to safeguard cultural traditions and educate people continues to gain fresh vitality at Yan'an University. The university holds more than 40,000 volumes of printed revolutionary literature. To bring these precious revolutionary historical materials to life, teachers and students spent eight years proofreading them word by word and built a digital research platform for revolutionary literature from the Yan'an period, making this revolutionary cultural heritage accessible for consultation, study, and transmission. The original aspiration of self-reliance and service to the people has also become a conscious commitment to action for generations of students. More than 70% of the university's graduates put down roots in western China, fulfilling the mission of their youth.

文脉守护与育人担当,在延安大学持续焕发新的活力。学校珍藏纸本红色文献4万余册,为盘活珍贵革命史料,师生历时8年逐字校对,建成延安时期红色文献数字研究平台,让红色文脉可查、可学、可传。自力更生、服务人民的初心,更化作一代代学子的行动自觉,学校超七成毕业生扎根西部,践行青春使命。

Entities in this story

Reported events 15

Ongoing at time of reportDocument preservationDate not specified+

Yan'an University preserves more than 40,000 volumes of printed revolutionary literature.

Translated paragraph context
The responsibility to safeguard cultural traditions and educate people continues to gain fresh vitality at Yan'an University. The university holds more than 40,000 volumes of printed revolutionary literature. To bring these precious revolutionary historical materials to life, teachers and students spent eight years proofreading them word by word and built a digital research platform for revolutionary literature from the Yan'an period, making this revolutionary cultural heritage accessible for consultation, study, and transmission. The original aspiration of self-reliance and service to the people has also become a conscious commitment to action for generations of students. More than 70% of the university's graduates put down roots in western China, fulfilling the mission of their youth.
Original Chinese quote
学校珍藏纸本红色文献4万余册
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ReportedSchool founding1931+

In 1931, a Red Army radio training class opened in Ningdu, Jiangxi, and later developed into the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Communications School.

Translated paragraph context
In 1930, the Red Army captured a damaged radio set during a campaign against 'encirclement and suppression.' This 'half a radio set' became the starting point for the school. To address the shortage of battlefield communications personnel, a Red Army radio training class opened in Ningdu, Jiangxi, in 1931. It later gradually developed into the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Communications School.
Original Chinese quote
1931年,红军无线电培训班在江西宁都开办,后逐步发展为中国工农红军通信学校。
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ReportedReporting visitDate not specified+

The program A Cultural Journey Through China visited Xidian University and Yan'an University to review their histories and responsibilities in the new era.

Translated paragraph context
CCTV.com reports (Xinwen Lianbo): Through years of war and long journeys, the flame of seeking knowledge and serving the country never went out. One generation made the journey its classroom and horseback its library, establishing schools, educating people, and safeguarding its revolutionary roots. A Cultural Journey Through China: The Enduring Traditions of Schools and Museums visits Xidian University and Yan'an University to look back at the wartime histories of these two universities with revolutionary origins and their responsibilities in the new era, and to explore how the spirit of the Long March has been passed down across time and space.
Original Chinese quote
《文化中国行·校馆弦歌》走进西安电子科技大学、延安大学,回望两所红色高校的烽火过往与新时代担当
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Ongoing at time of reportGraduate destinationsDate not specified+

More than 70% of Yan'an University's graduates settle and work in western China.

Translated paragraph context
The responsibility to safeguard cultural traditions and educate people continues to gain fresh vitality at Yan'an University. The university holds more than 40,000 volumes of printed revolutionary literature. To bring these precious revolutionary historical materials to life, teachers and students spent eight years proofreading them word by word and built a digital research platform for revolutionary literature from the Yan'an period, making this revolutionary cultural heritage accessible for consultation, study, and transmission. The original aspiration of self-reliance and service to the people has also become a conscious commitment to action for generations of students. More than 70% of the university's graduates put down roots in western China, fulfilling the mission of their youth.
Original Chinese quote
学校超七成毕业生扎根西部,践行青春使命。
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ReportedMilitary communicationsDate not specified+

During the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, teachers and students sent and received more than 300 telegrams, providing communications support for the Red Army's breakout and maneuvering operations.

Red ArmyRecipientChishui RiverGeographic
Translated paragraph context
During the Long March, revolutionary radio communications played an important role in many critical battles. During the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, teachers and students sent and received more than 300 telegrams, providing communications support for the Red Army's breakthroughs and maneuvering.
Original Chinese quote
四渡赤水,师生收发报300多份,为红军突围穿插提供了通信保障。
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ReportedSpace technology supportDate not specified+

Xidian University helped Chang'e transmit high-definition remote sensing images back to Earth.

Translated paragraph context
Amid the fighting, Xidian's people marched with their classrooms on their backs, while Yan'an University's people moved from place to place with their book trunks carried on pack animals, nurturing a revolutionary legacy of hard work and struggle and of serving the country and the people. As time has passed and the flames of war have receded, this original aspiration has never changed. The great spirit of the Long March has taken deep root and been passed down from generation to generation. At Xidian University, research efforts go wherever the country's needs lie: from developing China's first weather radar to helping Chang'e send back high-definition remote-sensing images, and then advancing the Zhuri Project to probe the mysteries of space energy. Successive generations at Xidian are continuing, in the new era, to fulfill the mission and responsibilities of a 'national team' in electronic information.
Original Chinese quote
到助力“嫦娥”传回高清遥感图像
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Ongoing at time of reportIdeological educationDate not specified+

The school uses its wartime history as material for ideological and political education.

Translated paragraph context
This wartime history has become the university's most moving lesson in ideological and political education.
Original Chinese quote
这段烽火往事成为学校最动人的一堂思政课。
Explore activity over time →
ReportedUniversity founding1941+

The Communist Party of China founded Yan'an University in 1941.

Translated paragraph context
The spirit of the Long March has been passed down continuously, and efforts to safeguard revolutionary cultural traditions never ceased during the years of campaigning. In 1941, the Communist Party of China founded Yan'an University. In 1947, the CPC Central Committee moved its operations across northern Shaanxi, and the university relocated along with it. Wherever the group went, its books were carried there on pack animals—hence the 'library on horseback.'
Original Chinese quote
1941年,中国共产党创办延安大学。
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ReportedWartime education1934+

In 1934, all teachers and students joined the Long March forces, conducting teaching while marching and fighting.

Translated paragraph context
In 1934, all of the school's teachers and students joined the marching ranks of the Long March, beginning a period of running the school while marching, fighting, and teaching.
Original Chinese quote
1934年,全校师生编入长征行军队伍,开启边行军、边作战、边教学的办学历程。
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ReportedWartime relocation1947+

In 1947, as the CPC Central Committee moved through northern Shaanxi during the war, Yan'an University relocated with it, transporting books on pack animals along the way.

Translated paragraph context
The spirit of the Long March has been passed down continuously, and efforts to safeguard revolutionary cultural traditions never ceased during the years of campaigning. In 1941, the Communist Party of China founded Yan'an University. In 1947, the CPC Central Committee moved its operations across northern Shaanxi, and the university relocated along with it. Wherever the group went, its books were carried there on pack animals—hence the 'library on horseback.'
Original Chinese quote
1947年,党中央转战陕北,学校随之转移。队伍走到哪儿,书就驮到哪儿
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ReportedDigitizationDate not specified+

Teachers and students at Yan'an University spent eight years proofreading character by character to build a digital research platform for revolutionary literature from the Yan'an period.

Translated paragraph context
The responsibility to safeguard cultural traditions and educate people continues to gain fresh vitality at Yan'an University. The university holds more than 40,000 volumes of printed revolutionary literature. To bring these precious revolutionary historical materials to life, teachers and students spent eight years proofreading them word by word and built a digital research platform for revolutionary literature from the Yan'an period, making this revolutionary cultural heritage accessible for consultation, study, and transmission. The original aspiration of self-reliance and service to the people has also become a conscious commitment to action for generations of students. More than 70% of the university's graduates put down roots in western China, fulfilling the mission of their youth.
Original Chinese quote
师生历时8年逐字校对,建成延安时期红色文献数字研究平台
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ReportedHistorical capture1930+

In 1930, the Red Army captured a damaged radio set during a campaign against encirclement and suppression, marking the starting point of the school's establishment.

Translated paragraph context
In 1930, the Red Army captured a damaged radio set during a campaign against 'encirclement and suppression.' This 'half a radio set' became the starting point for the school. To address the shortage of battlefield communications personnel, a Red Army radio training class opened in Ningdu, Jiangxi, in 1931. It later gradually developed into the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Communications School.
Original Chinese quote
1930年,红军在反“围剿”中缴获一部破损电台,这“半部电台”就是学校办学的起点。
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ReportedResearch achievementDate not specified+

Xidian University developed China's first weather radar.

Translated paragraph context
Amid the fighting, Xidian's people marched with their classrooms on their backs, while Yan'an University's people moved from place to place with their book trunks carried on pack animals, nurturing a revolutionary legacy of hard work and struggle and of serving the country and the people. As time has passed and the flames of war have receded, this original aspiration has never changed. The great spirit of the Long March has taken deep root and been passed down from generation to generation. At Xidian University, research efforts go wherever the country's needs lie: from developing China's first weather radar to helping Chang'e send back high-definition remote-sensing images, and then advancing the Zhuri Project to probe the mysteries of space energy. Successive generations at Xidian are continuing, in the new era, to fulfill the mission and responsibilities of a 'national team' in electronic information.
Original Chinese quote
从研制我国第一部气象雷达
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Ongoing at time of reportExhibitionDate not specified+

Xidian University's library is hosting a themed exhibition marking the 95th anniversary of the university's founding.

Translated paragraph context
Inside the library of Xidian University, an exhibition marking the 95th anniversary of the university's founding is on display, quietly recounting its revolutionary history of 'starting with half a radio set and running a school on the Long March.'
Original Chinese quote
走进西安电子科技大学图书馆,建校95周年主题展正在展出
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Ongoing at time of reportResearch projectDate not specified+

Xidian University is advancing the Zhuri project to explore space energy.

Translated paragraph context
Amid the fighting, Xidian's people marched with their classrooms on their backs, while Yan'an University's people moved from place to place with their book trunks carried on pack animals, nurturing a revolutionary legacy of hard work and struggle and of serving the country and the people. As time has passed and the flames of war have receded, this original aspiration has never changed. The great spirit of the Long March has taken deep root and been passed down from generation to generation. At Xidian University, research efforts go wherever the country's needs lie: from developing China's first weather radar to helping Chang'e send back high-definition remote-sensing images, and then advancing the Zhuri Project to probe the mysteries of space energy. Successive generations at Xidian are continuing, in the new era, to fulfill the mission and responsibilities of a 'national team' in electronic information.
Original Chinese quote
再到推进“逐日工程”叩问空间能源奥秘
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