Fujian man, 99, recalls Red Army's lasting impact

At the time, Ninghua was part of the Central Soviet Area and served as an important Red Army base. During the fifth anti-encirclement campaign, Red Army units moved into the county, with the Ninth Army Corps' rear headquarters stationed in Xiacao village.

Ninghua later become one of the four main departure points for the Central Red Army's Long March. In early October 1934, about 14,000 soldiers left the county and began the arduous journey that would take them thousands of kilometers across China.

The county is widely regarded, including by US journalist Edgar Snow in his book Red Star Over China, as the farthest starting point of the Long March in Fujian. Residents of the county provided millions of kilograms of grain and large sums of money to support the Red Army.

During the subsequent Long March, troops from Ninghua suffered devastating losses in the Battle of the Xiangjiang River in 1934, the early stage of the journey. Ultimately, only 58 of the over 6,000 Ninghua soldiers made their way to northern Shaanxi province. But before the troops left, the Red Army had already left a lasting imprint on villages such as Xiacao.

In 1933, Cao attended the Lenin Primary School, also known as an evening school, in the village. The school welcomed not only children but also young men and women who came to learn to read and write after finishing their farm work.