"Zeng was born in China and began studying Visual Communication at Shanghai Normal University in 2015. After working as a freelance artist and designer, Zeng moved to Germany to study at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. His artistic interest lies in the boundaries between documentary and fiction, and the self-referential nature of memory. "the internal crusade" is a reflection of Zeng's upbringing and education."
"I began to realize that it evolved into a political tool for transforming individual suffering into a necessary sacrifice required by the collectives, with the meaning embedded: 'All suffering is a journey, and all journeys must lead to success'.... We live in an illusion constructed by false tales, our intentions are revealed as some kind of task, and our experiences are hammered into certain struggles. The image of the god we worship is so blurred as to be weathered by the vulgar soul."
The project documents symbolic representations of the Long March and the people living along its route through photography. The creator combines documentary and fictional approaches to investigate memory, self-reference, and the shaping of collective narratives. The work draws on upbringing in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, and on studies in visual communication and media arts across China and Germany. A two-month journey in summer 2024 traced the route and recorded patriotic emblems, signs, and oral histories. The project interrogates how the Long March has been mobilized as a political tool to convert individual suffering into a collective necessity and to naturalize sacrifice in national myth.
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