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EXCESS BAGGAGE
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08听April听2006
LONG WALKS
Over the centuries travelling long distances has been done for听various reasons all around the world.听听Groups of the faithful have made pilgrimages to shrines or holy places such as Canterbury or Mecca.听 In 1934听Mao Zedong led 86,000 followers 25,000听 to escape the attacks of the Chinese nationalist army.听听听In the Netherlands each year 40,000 people spend four days walking in the Nijmegen marches.
Sandi Toksvig is joined by John Ure, author of a new book called Pilgrimage; Andy McEwen and Ed Jocelyn co-authors of The Long March - the true story behind the legendary journey that made Mao's China and PC Mike Kinsey from the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary听and a regular participant in the International Nijmegen Four Day Marches.
They share anecdotes, historical and contemporary, on ways of passing time, tales told and songs sung as well as useful advice to keep one's feet in good shape.
Presented by Sandi Toksvig
Photo: Bridge over river Luoshan, Szechuan province
This week's guests:
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John Ure, author of Pilgrimage describes himself as a traveller with a pilgrim fixation.听 It's not the destination but the path attracts him, he likes travelling uncomfortably in remote places and writing about it comfortably afterwards.
Pilgrimage - The great adventure of the Middleages
Publisher: Constable and Robinson
ISBN: 1841197866
Andy McEwen a writer based in Beijing and Ed Jocelyn,听a historian retraced the route of Mao's .
The Long March - the true story behind the legendary journey that made Mao's China
Publisher: Constable and Robinson
ISBN: 1845292553
Mao's听Long March听began 16 October 1934 when听86,000 soldiers; men, women and children left home to escape Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces. One year later, after 4,000 miles and lots of battle fewer than were 4,000 left.听 Those survivors would form the bedrock of Mao's revolution.
Ed Jocelyn is now doing the second long march. ()
Most people assume the Long March story begins and ends with the odyssey of the Red First Front Army, as retraced by Andy and Ed in 2002-03.听 But there's much more to the tale.听 Soon after Mao Zedong and his ragged band had arrived safely in the northwest, distant comrades in the Red Second and Sixth Regiments decided to abandon their base in Hunan Province.
On 19th November听1935, the Second and Sixth set out on their own Long March.听 They were driven even further west than Mao and his men, marching all the way to Lijiang in Yunnan Province, then across the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and through the Tibetan highlands of far-western Sichuan.听
Mike Kinsey, Police Constable with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and a regular participant in the .
Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, not far from Arnhem. The four day march originated in 1909 with Dutch military efforts to increase long distance marching and weight carrying ability of infantry soldiers. This year the听race will be held between 8-21 July 2006 and there are three distances 30, 40 or 50 kilometres. There are minimum distances people are expected to walk, depending on age and gender to qualify for the four day marches cross.
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| PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES |
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 Sandi Toksvig:
The daughter of a foreign correspondent, Sandi has been travelling all her life more info |
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John McCarthy is a widely travelled journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the Middle East.
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