China marks 90th anniversary of Long March victory in Beijing

A gathering has taken place in Beijing to mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March.

The commemoration was held on Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People.

President Xi Jinping delivered an important address, joined by members of the Politburo Standing Committee and Vice-President Han Zheng.

The Long March began in 1934, when the Central Red Army set off from Yudu in Jiangxi following a defeat in their fifth anti-encirclement campaign.

Covering 12,500 kilometres, the strategic retreat concluded October 1936 as the main forces joined together in Gansu and Ningxia, marking the historic triumph of the Red Army.