In this second installment of the series Andy Boreham’s RED CHINA, I take you on an immersive journey through Jinggangshan, the misty mountain stronghold on the Jiangxi-Hunan border famously known as the Cradle of the Chinese Revolution.

WATCH PART ONE HERE: • Shanghai: The Surprising Birthplace of the...

After the failure of urban uprisings in 1927 (see part one, link above), a small band of exhausted revolutionaries retreated into these rugged peaks and dense bamboo forests. Here they established China’s first rural revolutionary base, eventually controlling surrounding counties and supporting half a million people at its peak.

The episode follows Mao’s exact path, visiting key sites including the Octagonal Building—where he wrote lasting party strategies under oil-lamp light—and the former Fourth Red Army headquarters in Ciping.

I experience life as a Red Army soldier: carrying heavy loads up steep trails, attending political classes, and tasting classic dishes like pumpkin soup. Dramatic history comes alive at Huangyangjie, where just 500 defenders held off 5,000 enemy troops using terrain, bamboo spikes, and sheer will.

This episode also explores the land revolution that redistributed farmland to peasants, turning ordinary villagers into the backbone of the movement.

Today, red tourism drives over half of Jinggangshan’s economy, drawing millions who walk the same trails, stay in revolutionary homestays, and keep the Jinggangshan spirit alive.