Long March Spirit Inspires Youth at Reading Event in Pakistan

BEIJING, Oct 31 (APP):The spirit of the Long March, unyielding struggle, solidarity and never giving up, belongs not only to China but is a shared treasure of humanity that can continue to inspire young people around the world,' highlighted Zafar Uddin Mahmood, Pakistan's Special Representative to the Prime Minister on China Affairs and founding chairman of the Pakistan 'Understanding China' Forum. Zafar Mahmood made the remarks at a reading event held in Islamabad, where 20 Pakistani teenagers took turns reading 'Red Star Over China' in both Chinese and English, using their youthful voices to decode the epic of the Long March. The bilingual recitation of Edgar Snow's 'Red Star Over China', a seminal account that introduced the Chinese revolution to the outside world, was intended to give participants a firsthand connection to the Long March story while reinforcing the people-to-people bonds that underpin China-Pakistan relations, CEN reported. The event, themed 'Red Star Shines Forever Over China—'Reading Classics with My Child' Long March Spirit Reading Campaign for Chinese and International Participants' in Islamabad marked the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations. By bringing the classic text to young readers in both languages, organizers sought to turn a shared historical memory into a living bridge between the two peoples. Building on that connection, Mahmood further shared his personal reflections on Long March history and revolutionary culture based on his visits to the former revolutionary sites in Zunyi and Yan'an. He said that 'the Long March spirit can continuously bring profound inspiration to young people in countries around the world, and that young people from China and Pakistan should strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, deepen mutual understanding and affinity, and pass down the profound friendship between the two countries from generation to generation.'