Choruses celebrate National Day and commemorate Long March

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2016-09-30

A chorus contest to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s Long March began at the Hohhot Ethnic Theater in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 28.

The contest was sponsored by the Hohhot radio and television department, the Hohhot culture press and publication agency, and the Hohhot People’s Arts Gallery.

A chorus called “Passion toward Grasslands” performs a song adapted from Chairman Mao’s renowned poem “Spring Ooze Qin Garden--Ode to Snow” during the chorus contest held at the Hohhot Ethnic Theater, Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 28. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

The event attracted four ensembles from all walks of life in Inner Mongolia to perform a number of songs, including chants that hail the heroic deeds and spirits of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during wartime.

The Long March, a 12,500-kilometer-long military expedition conducted by the Red Army and led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), was intended to wrestle free control from the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) forces.

From 1934 to 1936, an 80,000-strong Red Army force took part in the epic trek, leaving their bases and marched through raging rivers, snowy mountains, and arid grassland, which laid an important foundation for the Communist victory in the war.

Over three quarters of the soldiers died or were reported missing in the two-year span, marking it as a world-renowned sacrifice that has been forever engraved in the history of China's revolution and the Chinese nation.

China’s National Day comes on Oct 1 every year, and with it a seven-day holiday for residents of China, during which celebrations are held across the country and the so-called “Golden Week” will boost domestic consumption via tourism as well.

A chorus called “Old Friends” from Hohhot’s Xincheng district presents the popular Chinese ballad “Ode to the Yellow River” during the chorus contest held at the Hohhot Ethnic Theater, Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 28. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

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