Artworks capture struggles of Red Army in Long March

The high-altitude Ruoergai Grassland in northern Sichuan province attracts tourists today for picturesque wetlands and diverse wildlife. More than 80 years ago, however, the scene was less tranquil - the Red Army fighting against harsh terrain and weather during the Long March, a military retreat the Communist Party of China conducted from 1934-36.

Historical records show the grassland claimed some 10,000 Red Army soldiers, who died of illness, starvation, coldness and other reasons.

Last September, Zhang Lujiang, a professor of Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, and a team of young teachers and students, visited Red Army sites in the area. They spent two weeks retracing the route that Red Army soldiers undertook to survive the hostile natural environment while finding a gateway to the north to evade the Kuomintang army's pursuit.