A PHOTO exhibition titled “Retracing the Long March” was held Monday at the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Nearly 400 photos taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel 17 years ago are displayed in prints or on screens, recording his five-month journey to retrace the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s epic trek between 1934 and 1936. The trek is also known as the “Long March.” In March 2005, accompanied by Chinese friends, the then 70-year-old Israeli set off from Yudu County in eastern China’s Jiangxi Province, the starting place of the Long March. After traveling more than 19,000 km on wheels and another 1,000 km on foot, he arrived in Wuqi County, Yan’an in Shaanxi Province, the destination of the Red Army’s odyssey. Along the course of his journey, Ben-Uziel, who goes by his Chinese name Wu Dawei, took thousands of photos, vividly recording historical items marking the army’s milestones and the life of ordinary people along the route. “Through the lens of his camera, he captured the economic and social development along the route 70 years after the Long March,” said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Cai Run at the opening ceremony. Ben-Uziel has been fascinated by the Long March, and admires the Chinese soldiers who completed the odyssey many years ago. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army soldiers, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, left their territories and marched through raging rivers, frigid mountains and arid grassland to break the siege of the Kuomintang forces. Later they continued to fight the Japanese invaders. At the exhibition, Ben-Uziel, now 87, told stories of his marvelous journey in China, elaborated on the landmarks of the Long March and explained the significance of the event in the modern Chinese history. Having lived and worked in China for years, Ben-Uziel harbors a deep love for the Chinese culture. “I think the exhibition is telling us more than the Long March. It shows us with vivid photos the life of the Chinese people today. This is extremely important for building real connections between the peoples of China and Israel,” said Yulia Mit, who attended the exhibition. (Xinhua) | 