However, Zhou Xiaozheng, a professor of sociology from the Renmin University of China, said the promotion of the Long March route as a World Heritage site is an extremely conservative action by Maoists.

"They're hyping the significance of the route," Zhou told the Global Times.

Yang admitted that ideology is the biggest obstacle to the Long March route becoming a World Cultural Heritage Site.

"That's why we should let more foreigners get to know it first, to get rid of their prejudice," Yang added.

Wang Xiaoyu, a professor of Chinese culture at the Shanghai-based Tongji University, said the route is a sign of a political achievement, rather than related to culture.

"A World Heritage site should be something that contributed to a development that benefits a large number of people, rather than just a political organization," Wang told the Global Times Monday.

In February 2012, the academies of social sciences of 14 Chinese regions first proposed putting forward a bid to make the Long March route a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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