Women of the Long March

The story of the women on China's Long March, focusing on the lives of three women.

The Long March of 1934e"5 is the central event in modern Chinese history. Virtually all of China's later Communist leaders took part, and the March has been the subject of many books and films. Most of what has already been written on the Long March is about the men: figures such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. This is the story of the women who took part in the Long March, seen through the biographies of three key players. Lee and Wiles trace the women's stories in three time periods: the Long March itself, a decade later at liberation and then forty years later. Drawing on interviews, published and unpublished sources, it is a moving account of a little understood group of women. Drawing on published and unpublished sources, including interviews, this is the moving story of one of the great events of 20th century history.

"A fine and moving tribute to the daughters of China's revolution, who endured the appalling deprivations of the legendary Long March. The authors have given the devotion, sacrifice, suffering and subsequent disillusionment of these women their rightful place in the history of modern China." - Yvonne Preston, former Chinacorrespondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age