Long Marchers on the Road
- Artist Qin Ga Embarking on his personal Long March Route on May 1st

On June 28, 2002, the Long March team departed from Beijing, and started from Ruijin, Jiangxi Province, began the "Long March - A Walking Visual Display." Artist Qin Ga participated in the project from Beijing by remotely following the Long March team's movements. The artist first tattooed a map of China onto his back, and then would tattoo each new site that the Long March team would arrive at in its respective position on the map, permanently leaving behind each route and site. When the Long March team declared a temporary stop to the project September 2002, at Site 12 (Luding Bridge, Sichuan Province), Qin Ga's tattoo work also stopped. Through a small needle, the 25000 li (6,000 mile) Long March was miniaturized onto Qin Ga's back. His body is both an artwork and a Long March object, combining together elements of history, and collective and individual memory.

May 1, 2005, led by Long March Chief Curator Lu Jie, the Long March team arrived at the Beijing's West Train Station to send off artist Qin Ga. Three years prior, as the Long March team daily made its way forward on the road Qin Ga followed each step from Beijing. Today, it is the Long March team's turn to imagine Qin Ga on the Long March route, crossing over the Himalayan Mountains and swampy grasslands, and heading in the direction of Yan'an, remotely connecting with the collective memory and our experiences these years on the road. Accompanying him are Gao Feng, Gao Xiang, Li Ding, Mei Er, a tattoo artist and three cameraman. They will help record and tattoo onto Qin Ga's back the remaining sites left unvisited by the Long March team.

Due to the difficulty in communication, we cannot guarantee that the Long March website will continuously have information regarding Qin Ga's latest movements. The Long Marchers wish Qin Ga a safe journey in his endeavor to complete his project, "The Miniature Long March", and that he return safely.

Long Marchers of the World, Unite!

May 1, 2005 International Labor Day

For more information regarding The Long March Project - The Miniature Long March, please contact:

Long March Project
25000 Cultural Transmission Center
Mailbox 8503
Jiuxianqiao Rd #4
Beijing, P.R.China 100015
Tel/Fax +86 10 6438 7107
lm@longmarchspace.com
www.longmarchspace.com