The biggest-ever exhibition on the Long March (1934-36) will open next week in Beijing. It will offer visitors a chance to enjoy some never-before-seen relics.

Of the 58 unseen exhibits, highlights include a boat used by the Red Army to cross the Yudu River in Jiangxi Province, and a note by Peng Shaohui, a one-armed colonel general.

Other objects include a diary written by Xie Fumin, a regimental leader from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a Red Army campaign command, and a Kuomintang intercept telegram.

The 40-day exhibition opens on Monday at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution. It marks the 70th anniversary of the successful completion of the Long March.

In the Long March, the Red Army trekked 6,000 miles across China before establishing a revolutionary base area in Yan'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

A total of 580 pictures, 450 historic relics, 180 books and 25 paintings will be shown.

As well as the 58 new exhibits, a further 28 relics from along the Long March route will be shown in Beijing for the first time.

It is expected that over 800,000 people will attend the exhibition.

(China Daily October 13, 2006)