March/April 2004
People

Graduate takes Mao's long march

A former University languages student has made headlines around the globe after retracing the 6,000-mile Long March of the Chinese Communists.

Ed Jocelyn (pictured right), 35, together with friend Andy McEwen, took 384 days to complete the epic journey - two weeks longer than Mao's Red Army.

About 100,000 Communist troops marched out of Jiangxi province in October 1934 after they were besieged by Nationalists. Guerrilla warfare expert Mao Zedong took over as march leader in January 1935.

By the time the army reached Communist-controlled Yanan in October 1935 there were just 8,000 survivors. The march crossed 18 mountain ranges and 24 rivers and was a catalyst for the creation of today's China.

After completing the New Long March in November 2003, Ed said: "Our biggest enemy was time - walking on average between 20 and 30 kilometres a day left us with little time or energy for research or interviews and so we found the New Long March a round-the-clock job."

Ed, who is now writing a book about his experience, decided to take on the task with Andy as a way of noting down history. The pair has already produced a major photographic exhibition of their journey.

To follow the route, the pair took advice along the way from 11 veterans and more than 100 witnesses to the original march as they re-traced the Red Army's steps.

"Our records were full of holes and so often we arrived in villages or towns not knowing where to go next," said Ed.

Ed studied French and Russian at Bradford and remained at the University to complete a PhD looking at nationalism in Belarus. He also taught European Cinema and acted in and directed several foreign language plays at the University.

Director of Postgraduate courses in Media and Cultural Studies Dr Anne White, together with Dr John Russell, Head of the Department of Languages and European Studies, have both remained in contact with Ed.

Anne said she was not surprised when she first heard about his plans.

She added: "Ed was always looking for new challenges. After his PhD, he said he wanted to learn Chinese; a month later he was working as a journalist in Beijing!"

16 April 2004

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