A man in Red Army garb hits the pavement in a simulated attack during a re-staging of part of the Long March.

The scene brings alive an extraordinary chapter in China's history that established the supremacy of Chairman Mao Zedong and the Communist Party.

Deep in the mountains of Jinggangshan in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, a classroom of bank tellers participate in an ideological boot camp that plays into Chinese President Xi Jinping's drive to further consolidate his grip on power.