October 21, 2026

From nuclear-powered submarines beneath the waves to destroyers on the open sea, names that originated in China's Long March now travel far beyond the routes once taken by the Red Army in the 1930s. The name Changzheng, or Long March, has become the hallmark of China's nuclear submarines, while warships named Zunyi, Chishui and Aba, important places along routes of the Long March, carry reminders of the epic journey into today's naval missions.

Ahead of Thursday's 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, China's military is reflecting on how that experience helped shape its direction and development. Experts said the legacy lives on in the equipment China builds: the pursuit of independent innovation and the determination to overcome formidable obstacles give these historic names a meaning that extends beyond remembrance.

That connection stretches from Long March-1, China's first nuclear-powered submarine, commissioned in 1974, to the third generation of Long March nuclear submarines and a recently reported strategic missile test by a nuclear-powered submarine, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency. Alongside them, successive generations of surface warships have carried the names of places associated with the Long March, linking the navy's expanding capabilities with its revolutionary heritage.

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202610/1372753.shtml