Literature Evolution and Paradigm Shift of China’s Long March Research (2011–2025): A Bibliometric Analysis via VOSviewer and CiteSpace

Abstract

As the year 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, the Long March and its spiritual connotation have become core symbolic assets of Chinese Red Culture and vital vehicles for international cultural communication. Drawing on bibliometric data of Long March-themed publications collected from the CNKI database during 2011–2025, this paper divides the temporal evolution of existing studies into three stages, with 2016 and 2021 as key time nodes. Adopting VOSviewer and CiteSpace as bibliometric visualization tools, this study systematically delineates the intellectual structure of Long March research. The empirical results indicate that: (1) The academic landscape of Long March research exhibits a distinct two-tiered framework. The foundational tier is dominated by canonical historical topics during 2011–2015, represented by Mao Zedong and the Zunyi Conference, whereas the emergent tier features contemporary research priorities prevailing from 2011–2025, including the Long March National Cultural Park and Rural Revitalization; (2) The research paradigm has undergone a notable shift from traditional historical textual criticism and archival sorting to policy interpretation and practical application, reflecting a clear transition from disciplinary historical research to application-oriented and cultural communication research.(3) An evident functional division has taken shape among academic journals. Core journals prioritize theoretical elaboration and historical contextualization, while Non-Core Journals predominantly accommodate practice-oriented and educational research concerning Long March Culture. This study clarifies the evolutionary logic and disciplinary layout of Long March research, provides theoretical reference and practical implications for the innovative inheritance and international cross-cultural communication of Chinese Red Culture.