In a special series for BBC Radio 4 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, writer Philip Short looks back at the epic Long March of 1934-35 by the Chinese communists under Mao Zedong. In five half-hour radio programmes he traces two parallel themes: the route of the Long March itself and the development of China's people and society over the past 50 years. Listen by clicking on the links below.

Jiangxi - The Cradle of the Revolution
The first programme goes back to Jiangxi Province and finds the area is at another crossroads, this time between the increasingly prosperous coast and the hinterland.

Marching for the People
In programme two of the series, Philip Short looks at the state of law, human rights and the rights of women in China today.

Yunnan and Guizhou
In the 1930s, one of the emotions which united the marching comrades was their desire to see China free of foreign power and influence. Today, the foreigners are back - with investment, but on Chinese terms.

The other side of the River
Sichuan is one of the richest, most fertile provinces in China - the land of four rivers. It was here that the Long Marchers achieved the status of mythic beings.

Gansu and Shensi
The Long Marchers who survived the trials of Sichuan marched to Gansu and Shensi - which today remain among the poorest parts of China.