She could still remember moments when the troops would light up the torches as night came, she said during an interview in 2016. "The line of torches looked like a long dragon with flames. They lit up the winding roads in darkness. For me, I saw hope," she said.

Xue said the Red Army veterans' stories during the Long March are particularly inspirational for young people. "People joined the Red Army for different reasons. Many of them were very young and just wanted to make a living. Through the hardship of the Long March, they gradually found their purpose in life and grew to be real heroes."

He urged the country to set up a database of Red Army veterans and record their stories so the stories wouldn't be lost.