TRAILING THE GHOSTS OF THE LONG MARCH

Continuing his storytelling walk across the world, journalist Paul Salopek recalls the harrowing journey of China’s Red Army 90 years ago—and encounters the forces reshaping China today.

Words by PAUL SALOPEK

FOR GOING ON THREE YEARS NOW, I’VE BEEN WALKING ACROSS CHINA. WHEN DONE, I’LL HAVE LOGGED SOME 4,200 MILES. STARTING IN THE SOUTHWEST in October 2021 and rambling northeast, I’ve roughly followed an imaginary geographical divide called the Hu Line, which separates China’s lusher, densely populated east from its more arid and roomier west. I haven’t spotted too many motorized Chinese out stomping my trails. In a nation of 1.4 billion, this felt odd sometimes, to claim horizons for myself. Which isn’t to say I’m not meeting ghosts. When you walk the world—and I’ve been trekking from Africa to South America for almost a dozen straight years, following the pathways blazed by our prehistoric ancestors out of Africa—you begin to read terrain like a palimpsest. Some places barely offer up a passing…

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National Geographic (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2024

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