BEIJING, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- China plans a gala to mark the 70th anniversary of Mao Tse Tung's epic "Long March," an event that could be met with mixed emotions, a report says.
The gala is scheduled for Sunday in Beijing.
The Xinhua news agency reported Saturday that the few remaining survivors of the retreat could suffer pangs of sadness contrasted with the happier feelings of their offspring and others.
Liu Taihang, son of the late Marshal Liu Bocheng, one of the founders of the People's Liberation Army, told the news agency that his father never spoke of his experiences during the Long March, which covered nearly 5,000 miles of rugged terrain and took more than a year to complete.
"He said the mere mention of the Long March reminded him of the great losses of his soldiers, the fathers who lost their sons and the women who became widows," Liu told Xinhua.
The Long March, however, kept Mao's army intact as World War II broke out and set the stage for the post-war communist takeover.
