From September 19 to 21, 2026, the thematic training program “Carrying Forward the Long March Spirit, Tracing the Footsteps of the Leader” of BNUBS was held at Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy. Centered on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, the program adopted a practical approach of retracing the Long March route and following General Secretary Xi Jinping’s inspection trails. It guided teachers and students to consolidate their ideals and convictions, temper Party spirit, and establish and practice a sound view of political performance on this sacred revolutionary land.

 

 

Thematic Training Program “Carrying Forward the Long March Spirit, Tracing the Footsteps of the Leader” Held at Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy

I. Opening Ceremony

On the afternoon of September 19, the opening ceremony took place in Classroom 123 of the Teaching & Comprehensive Building. Han Zongping, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy, Han Lili and Wang Jun, Associate Party Secretaries of BNUBS, together with teachers and students of the training program, attended the ceremony. Ye Yalan, faculty member of the Training Department of Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy, presided over the event.

 

 

Opening Ceremony

 

The ceremony commenced with the solemn national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. All attendees stood up and sang the national anthem.

Han Zongping delivered an opening address. He extended a warm welcome to teachers and students from BNUBS. He introduced the Dabie Mountains as an important founding base of the Communist Party of China, its revolutionary saga of “keeping the red flag flying for 28 years”, and the rich connotations of the Spirit of the Dabie Mountains. He encouraged participants to immerse themselves in history, reality and inner reflection during the study, drawing inspiration from the Spirit of the Dabie Mountains.

Han Lili, Associate Party Secretary of BNUBS, delivered the opening mobilization speech. She expressed gratitude to Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy for meticulous preparation. She urged participants to cherish this opportunity, maintain rigorous academic discipline, abide by all rules, learn with questions in mind and combine theory with practice. She called on them to integrate loyalty to the Party, dedication to the people and a pragmatic sense of responsibility into daily study, work and life, and advance the high-quality development of the School with tangible learning outcomes.

Subsequently, Han Zongping presented the training class flag, which was received by Wang Jun, Associate Party Secretary of BNUBS, marking the official launch of the training program.

 

 

Flag Presentation Ceremony

II. Opening Classroom Session: In-depth Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building

The first lecture was delivered by Associate Professor Lin Haiping from the Teaching & Research Department of Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy, titled An In-depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. The lecture covered four sections: the profound significance, scientific connotations, theoretical character of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, and measures to deepen its study and implementation. It systematically elaborated on the main content of the “Fourteen Insistences”. Combining vivid cases including China-US trade frictions and historical lessons of the Party, the lecture illustrated the critical importance of upholding the Party’s leadership, helping teachers and students grasp the holistic theoretical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.

 

  

Special Lecture: An In-depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building

III. Situational Teaching: Large-scale Live Performance The Red Flag Endures in the Dabie Mountains

On the evening of September 19, the training program organized teachers and students to watch the large-scale red live performance The Red Flag Endures in the Dabie Mountains. Centered on the revolutionary miracle of “28 years of the red flag standing tall in the Dabie Mountains”, the show adopted the narrative framework of “one red flag, thousands of standard-bearers”. Built on the real-life landscapes of General Mountain in Xinxian County, the performance reconstructed villages, Red Army caves and the Ru River battlefield. It chronologically recreated key historical episodes including Chen Tanqiu establishing the Party group and Wu Huanxian sacrificing his family fortune for the revolution. With striking audio-visual effects and delicate character portrayal, the performance immersed teachers and students in the Spirit of the Dabie Mountains, defined as “upholding faith, bearing the overall situation in mind, uniting as one, and daring to march forward as vanguards”. After watching the show, teachers and students remarked that it was not merely an artistic feast but also a vivid Party history lesson, where the unwavering faith and indomitable fighting spirit of revolutionary predecessors resonated deeply within them.

 

 

Situational Teaching: Live Performance The Red Flag Endures in the Dabie Mountains

IV. On-site Teaching: Retracing the Long March and Following General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Footsteps

On the morning of September 20, teachers and students travelled to Hejiachong, Tiepu Town, Luoshan County, Xinyang City, the starting point of the 25th Red Army’s Long March. They visited the Memorial Hall of the 25th Red Army, listened to on-site explanations and experienced retracing the Long March route. Along the trail, the instructor guided participants to reflect on how this young army with an average age under 20 completed the arduous expedition under extreme hardship, helping them profoundly perceive the tremendous power of ideals and convictions and understand the strength of faith by following in the footsteps of revolutionary ancestors.

 

  

Teachers and Students Visited the Memorial Hall of the 25th Red Army

 

In the afternoon, the group visited Tianpu Dawan in Tianpu Township, Xinxian County, Xinyang City, a site inspected by General Secretary Xi Jinping on September 16, 2019. During his visit, General Secretary stepped into workshops and homestays such as “Craft Workshop”, “Hometown Inn” and “Buqiucao”, chatting cordially with shop owners and villagers. He stressed that red cultural resources and green ecological resources should be integrated to develop rural tourism tailored to local conditions and increase villagers’ income. Teachers and students witnessed the achievements in preserving traditional villages and building beautiful countryside, gaining an intuitive understanding of comprehensive rural revitalization.

 

Teachers and Students Visited Tianpu Dawan

That evening, the group toured the Memorial Hall for the Great March of the Liu-Deng Army into the Dabie Mountains. They gained a panoramic view of the magnificent campaign in 1947, when the Liu-Deng Army crossed the Yellow River and advanced thousands of li into the Dabie Mountains. The interpreter recounted the story behind the military discipline: “If the villager is away, no entry is permitted”, allowing teachers and students to deeply appreciate the strict mass discipline of the people’s army and the profound bond between the military and civilians. Participants noted that the Great March of the Liu-Deng Army into the Dabie Mountains marked the beginning of the strategic offensive of the People’s Liberation Army, helping them grasp the full weight of “bearing the overall situation in mind and uniting as one”.

 

 

Teachers and Students Visited the Memorial Hall for the Great March of the Liu-Deng Army into the Dabie Mountains

V. Special Classroom Session: Establishing and Practicing a Sound View of Political Performance

On the morning of September 21, Professor Wang Quanfeng from Henan Dabie Mountains Executive Leadership Academy delivered a lecture titled Delivering Achievements for the People Through Down-to-earth Work – Learning and Education on Establishing and Practicing a Sound View of Political Performance. He emphasized that one’s view of political performance directly reflects the Party spirit and value orientation of Party members and cadres. Efforts must be made to address formalism and bureaucracy stemming from a distorted view of political performance, guiding Party members and cadres to proceed from realities and strive to deliver tangible achievements for the people.

 

 

Special Lecture: Delivering Achievements for the People Through Down-to-earth Work – Learning and Education on Establishing and Practicing a Sound View of Political Performance

 

This study tour in the Dabie Mountains served as profound Party spirit education and a spiritual baptism. Theoretical learning and on-site insights reinforced each other, progressing from the theoretical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, the Long March spirit and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s earnest instructions, to the powerful impact of the live performance The Red Flag Endures in the Dabie Mountains. Standing at the starting site of the 25th Red Army’s Long March, participants better understood the meaning of “Revolutionary ideals tower above everything else”. Walking along the lanes of Tianpu Dawan, they gained deeper insight into the principle of “firmly standing on the side of ordinary people”. Listening to the historical logic of the Party’s self-reform, they became more aware of the long-term and arduous nature of comprehensive and strict governance over the Party. All participating teachers and students agreed that they would translate the gains from this study into practical work, strengthen ideals and convictions, temper Party spirit, uphold a sound view of political performance, and contribute to the development of the School and the building of a powerful education country through pragmatic dedication.

 

Contributed by Party Committee Office

Edited by Xu Kaige

Reviewed by Han Lili