The Evolution of Scholarship and Paradigm Shifts in China’s Long‑March Research (2011‑2025): A Bibliometric Analysis Using VOSviewer and CiteSpace

Abstract

Drawing on bibliometric records of Long March-related scholarly articles indexed in the CNKI database from 2011 to 2025, this paper identifies a three-stage developmental trajectory, demarcated by the pivotal years 2016 and 2021. Employing VOSviewer and CiteSpace for co-occurrence and co-citation analyses, we construct a comprehensive visual mapping of the knowledge structure and thematic contours characterizing this body of research. Empirical analyses generate three salient observations on Long‑March‑related scholarship. First, it features a distinct two‑tiered intellectual structure: foundational canonical historical themes (e.g., Mao ZD, the Zunyi Conference) dominated research in 2011‑2015, while contemporary agendas such as the Long March National Cultural Park and rural revitalization prevailed during 2021‑2025. Second, the field has undergone a paradigmatic shift from historical textual criticism and archival compilation toward policy exegesis and applied inquiry, moving from discipline‑driven historical scholarship to applied and cultural‑communication‑oriented research. Third, journals display functional stratification: core outlets prioritize theoretical elaboration and historical contextual reconstruction, whereas non‑core journals mainly publish practice‑centered and pedagogy‑focused studies on 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.