Full coverage: 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Red Army's Long March

Decades after the Red Army's Long March, some Chinese students are keen to learn more about this historic expedition. But instead of poring over books in the classroom, they decided to retrace the steps of the Red Army soldiers.

82 years ago, the Red Army set out on its epic trek after breaking through enemy fortifications. Today, people in China still value the Long March by retracing the route of the expedition. Among them are Liu Xinran and her friends, who set out to learn more.

"Loving a country is the same as loving a person. But you need to know about the person. Actually, we don't even know our country, we don't even know what our country has been through, so how am I suppose to say I love my country?" Liu said.

These students aren't facing starvation, aerial bombardments or daily skirmishes with enemy forces but their journey is still difficult as the route passes through the most dangerous parts of China.

We didn't know each other at the beginning but we gradually got acquainted on the road. We have been through a lot together, like eating brown rice and long-distance marching. Actually I wasn't really physically prepared.

We were at the Liupan Mountain, it's over 3,000 meters above sea level and it was the last high mountain the Red Army climbed over. It was pretty high for me. I was exhausted when climbed it. I could barely breath. Qin just came over to take my pack and Guo took my arm to keep me walking. We made it in the end.

This journey isn't only about where you have been, but also about what you have got.

In Jiangxi, we went to a memorial where I was impressed by an old coat. It belonged to a Red Army soldier. The coat was a reward given to him for successfully completing a mission. So it represents honor and glory. Also, the coat protected him when he climbed over snowy mountains during the Long March. So it was the most precious thing in his life. He kept it until the day he died.

We took a boat out on the Xiangjiang River to mourn the Red Army soldiers who died in the Xiangjiang River battle. We poured liquor into the water and scattered flower petals

The Battle at the Xiangjiang River was one of the bloodiest during the Long March and saw the deaths of around 50,000 Red Army soldiers.

I watched the petal float away and wished it could travel through time and carry our respect to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives.