87-year-old Israeli veteran holds photo exhibition retracing China's "Long March"

Visitors look at photos at an exhibition showcasing photos taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel during his Chinese trip retracing the Long March, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Zhuolun)

A photo exhibition themed "Retracing the Long March" was held on Monday at the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Nearly four hundred photos, taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel 17 years ago, are put on display in prints or on screens, showcasing his five-month mission back then in China to retrace the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's epic trek between 1934 and 1936, which is known as the "Long March."

JERUSALEM, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition themed "Retracing the Long March" was held on Monday at the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Nearly four hundred photos, taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel 17 years ago, are put on display in prints or on screens, showcasing his five-month mission back then in China to retrace the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's epic trek between 1934 and 1936, which is 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 point 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 of Yan'an, the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the terminal of the Red Army's odyssey.

Along the course of his retracing journey, Ben-Uziel, who goes by "Wu Dawei" in Chinese, took thousands of photos, vividly recording historical items marking the army's milestones and the life of ordinary residents along the route.

"Through the lens of his camera, he also captured in photos the economic and social development along the route 70 years after the Long March," said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Cai Run while addressing the opening ceremony.

Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel delivers a speech at an exhibition showcasing photos taken by him during his Chinese trip retracing the Long March, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Zhuolun) 

He added that Ben-Uziel learned the spirit of the Long March and the Chinese nation from the perspective of a military man.

From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army soldiers, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, left their bases and marched through raging rivers, frigid mountains, and arid grassland to break the siege of the Kuomintang forces and continued to fight the Japanese aggressors.

At the exhibition, Ben-Uziel, now 87, told the audience stories of his marvelous journey in China, elaborated on landmarks of the Long March and explained the significance of the event in the history of modern China.

With his life and work experience in China and his deep love for Chinese culture, Ben-Uziel has contributed to the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, Cai noted.

"I think the exhibition is telling us much more than just the Long March itself. We all know about the Long March but definitely, now we know much more. I think this is extremely important for China-Israeli connections," said Yulia Mit, an audience of the exhibition. 

A visitor looks at photos at an exhibition showcasing photos taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel during his Chinese trip retracing the Long March, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Zhuolun)